Switzerland encourages Armenia, Azerbaijan ‘to pursue constructive dialogue' for peace

By Beyza Binnur Donmez

GENEVA (AA) - The Swiss foreign minister urged Armenia and Azerbaijan on Thursday to pursue "constructive dialogue" for peace.

Ignazio Cassis' remarks came after meeting his Armenian counterpart Ararat Mirzoyan and Azerbaijani counterpart Jeyhun Bayramov on the sidelines of an Organization for Security and Co-Operation in Europe Ministerial Council.

"Switzerland encourages Armenia and Azerbaijan to pursue constructive dialogue to achieve lasting peace and is ready to contribute if parties agree," Cassis wrote on X.

Relations between the two former Soviet republics have been tense since 1991 when the Armenian military occupied Nagorno-Karabakh, a territory internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, and seven adjacent regions.

Most of the territory was liberated by Azerbaijan during a war in the fall of 2020, which ended after a Russian-brokered peace agreement and opened the door to normalization.

Azerbaijan established full sovereignty in Karabakh after an "anti-terrorism operation" in September, after which separatist forces in the region surrendered.

Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry, in a Nov. 21 statement, urged Armenia to resume negotiations and "to avoid new unnecessary delays" in the peace process.

Delegations from Azerbaijan and Armenia are expected to meet Nov. 30 to discuss border delimitation issues.