Moscow: The leaders of bitter rivals Armenia and Azerbaijan declared they were moving closer to normalising relations after recognising each other's territorial integrity ahead of talks in Moscow on Thursday.

Prior to their meeting in person later on Thursday and the subsequent talks that will be hosted by Russian President Vladimir Putin, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev had a conversation.

For decades, Baku and Yerevan have been at war over control of Nagorno-Karabakh, an area of Azerbaijan that is largely populated by Armenians.

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Given that Armenia has formally recognised Karabakh as being a part of Azerbaijan, there is a chance of reaching a peace agreement, Aliyev told the Eurasian Economic Union, which is led by Russia.

No territorial claims to Armenia are made by Azerbaijan, he continued.

The two nations, according to Pashinyan, are "making good progress in normalising relationships, based on mutual recognition of territorial integrity."
He declared that Yerevan was prepared "to unblock all the regional transport links that pass through Armenian territory."

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With the assistance of the European Union and the United States, the Caucasus neighbours have been attempting to negotiate a peace agreement.

At a meeting Charles Michel, the President of the European Council, hosted in Brussels on May 14, they decided to recognise each other's territorial integrity.

Russia, a longtime regional power broker, is displeased with the West's diplomatic efforts in the Caucasus.

For control of Nagorno-Karabakh, Armenia and Azerbaijan engaged in two wars, one in 2020 and the other in the 1990s.
After six weeks of fighting in the autumn of 2020, a cease-fire mediated by Russia saw Armenia give up large portions of territory it had long controlled.

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Since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, Armenia has relied on Russia for military and economic support and has accused Moscow of failing to uphold peace in Karabakh.

The United States and the European Union have worked to mend relations between the Caucasus rivals because Russia is mired in the conflict in Ukraine and is unwilling to put undue pressure on Turkiye, a key ally of Azerbaijan.