Azerbaijan and Armenia mark Karabakh War anniversary amid ongoing diplomatic tensions

Azerbaijan observed the sixth anniversary of the start of the Second Karabakh War, marking the date with a national minute of silence and memorial events. President Ilham Aliyev and First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva visited Victory Park in Baku to lay wreaths at the Victory Monument. In statements, Aliyev noted that the 44-day war in 2020 resulted in the liberation of significant territories and the full restoration of Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity following operations in September 2023.

In related diplomatic developments, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan addressed the UN Assembly, emphasizing unresolved issues such as demining, the status of missing persons, and the release of Armenian detainees held in Azerbaijan. Pashinyan also expressed concern regarding the periodic use of conflict rhetoric at official levels in both nations. Meanwhile, Azerbaijan has postponed a meeting of the Peace Bridge Initiative between Armenian and Azerbaijani civil society in Yerevan, citing a need to wait until tensions subside.