Joint working group to be established in Azerbaijan’s Karabakh region for civil activities

ISTANBUL

Azerbaijani officials and representatives of the Armenian residents of Karabakh agreed Monday on the establishment of a joint working group for civil activities in the region.

In a statement, the Azerbaijani Presidential Administration said that Ramin Mammadov, the envoy for contacts with Armenian residents of Karabakh, met with representatives of the residents in the city of Khojaly.

According to statement, the gathering was characterized by a constructive atmosphere, with the Armenian representatives expressing their appreciation for food, fuel and electricity provided by Azerbaijan.

An agreement was reached to organize a meeting of the working group on the solution of social, humanitarian, economic and infrastructure issues led by Azerbaijani Deputy Prime Minister Shahin Mustafayev with relevant representatives dealing with utility, health and other civil services in the area, including in Khankendi city, to determine the direction of further action and to establish a joint working group.

At the meeting, it was proposed to establish a field hospital near Khankendi or Khojaly, where medical personnel of Azerbaijani and Armenian origin would work together. It was also suggested to establish a mobile cafeteria where personnel of Azerbaijani and Armenian origin would work.

Suggestions were also made to establish mixed teams of Azerbaijani and Armenian-origin healthcare personnel to provide services to lonely and needy people in remote villages and to organize visits by Armenian-origin civil society representatives and activists living in Karabakh to Baku or other cities of Azerbaijan.

The statement also noted that Azerbaijani officials and Armenian representatives would meet again soon.

Last Tuesday, two people were killed when a truck belonging to an Azerbaijani government institution hit a mine on the Ahmadbayli-Fuzuli-Shusha highway in the Jabrayil region. Four police officers who responded to the scene were also killed when their vehicle struck another mine.

Later, Azerbaijan said it launched "counter-terrorism" measures in its Karabakh region to uphold provisions outlined in a trilateral peace agreement with Russia and Armenia to end a 2020 conflict.

On Wednesday morning, Azerbaijan’s Defense Ministry said that under an agreement achieved with the command of the Russian peacekeeping contingent in the region it decided to halt the counter-terrorism activities.

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

In the fall of 2020, Azerbaijan liberated several cities, villages and settlements from Armenian occupation during 44 days of clashes. The war ended with a Russia-brokered cease-fire.

*Writing by Seda Sevencan