Pope Francis welcomed this Sunday the “positive signal” given by Armenia and Azerbaijan who announced their desire to normalize their relations after three decades of conflict for control of the Nagorno-Karabakh enclave. “I rejoice at the release of a significant number of Azerbaijani and Armenian prisoners,” the pope declared after the weekly Angelus prayer in St. Peter’s Square, referring to an agreement on the release of 32 Armenian prisoners of war in exchange for that of two Azerbaijani soldiers.
“I welcome with great hope this positive sign for the relationship between Armenia and Azerbaijan, for peace in the Southern Caucasus,” added Jorge Bergoglio, encouraging “the parties and their leaders to conclude as quickly as possible a peace treaty “. In a joint declaration, Yerevan and Baku promised Thursday “concrete measures” to normalize their very tense relations and reaffirmed their intention “to sign a peace agreement”.
The reaction has been positive both among the historical allies of the two countries as well as among the Europeans and the United States, which are trying to play a more important mediating role in this region. The Pope visited Armenia in 2016 and then Azerbaijan. In September, he again called for “silencing the guns” the day after Azerbaijan launched a military operation which resulted in the recapture of the Nagorno-Karabakh enclave by Baku.