Leaders of Armenia, Azerbaijan meet in new peace push

In 2023, Armenia lost control of the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region during a lightning offensive by Azerbaijan, which is ruled by Aliyev in an authoritarian manner and possesses significant oil wealth.

Following the meeting, the foreign ministries of both countries issued near-identical statements, describing direct dialogue as the most effective format for advancing normalisation.

The sides agreed to continue talks.

Back in March, both countries said they had reached agreement on the text of a peace treaty but it has yet to be signed.

Pashinyan's political clout was severely weakened after losing the conflict, which forced more than 100,000 ethnic Armenians to flee Nagorno-Karabakh.