Armenia and Azerbaijan to ‘Prepare the Populations for Peace’

Zohrab Mnatsakanyan and Elmar Mammadyarov, the head of Ministries of Foreign Affairs in Azerbaijan and Armenia have agreed to ‘prepare the populations for peace’, marking a breakthrough in the long-running Eurasian conflict.

Meeting in Paris for the fourth time, the ministers spoke for more than 4 hours on the Karabakh conflict. The pair made plans for the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan to meet.

Nonetheless, both sides are still cautious about the breakthrough and the positive statement by the ministers. Strong public opinion hampers the prospect of a peace deal on both sides.

The Foreign Ministers met with the OSCE Minsk Group. In their official statement, they underlined “the importance of possibly mutually beneficial initiatives designed to fulfill the economic potential of the region.”

Despite the potential mutual benefits of peace in the region, whether real progress occurs remains to be seen.

By Amy Jones

Photo source: MFA Azerbaijan