Armenia and Azerbaijan issued a joint statement without intermediaries for the first time yesterday (December 7) since the beginning of the Karabakh conflict in September.

Garo Paylan, former MP from the People's Democratic Party (HDP) in Diyarbakır and an Armenian in Turkey, commented on this joint statement made by Armenia and Azerbaijan, including the mutual release of prisoners.

Paylan's statement on the matter from his Twitter account is as follows:

"Great news! I hope the joint statement by Armenia and Azerbaijan heralding the mutual release of prisoners becomes a milestone on the path to peace. The road to peace will open with such confidence-building steps. Let's all take responsibility together for a lasting peace."

The joint statement made by Armenia and Azerbaijan reads: 

“The Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Azerbaijan share the view that there is a historical chance to achieve a long-awaited peace in the region." 

"The two countries reconfirm their intention to normalise relations and to reach the peace treaty on the basis of respect for the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity."

As part of the agreement reached between two countries, Azerbaijan released 32 Armenian soldiers in exchange for two Azerbaijani soldiers “as driven by values of humanism and as a gesture of goodwill.”

The joint statement also says that “the Republic of Armenia supports the bid of the Republic of Azerbaijan to host the 29th Session of the Conference of Parties (COP29) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, by withdrawing its own candidacy." 

Again according to the statement, Azerbaijan supports Armenia's candidacy for membership in the Eastern European Group of the Committee on Political Affairs and Security (COP) of the Council of Europe as a sign of goodwill. (TY/PE)

https://bianet.org/haber/top-court-invalidates-legal-provision-on-committing-crimes-on-behalf-of-a-criminal-organization-289023