Armenia, Azerbaijan discuss easing tensions

The leaders of Azerbaijan and Armenia held talks in Prague aimed at easing tensions between the two long-standing adversaries.

Armenia agreed to “facilitate an EU civilian project along the border with Azerbaijan,” according to a joint statement issued early Friday, following an assembly on the sidelines of an EU summit attended by EU Council President Charles Michel and French President Emmanuel Macron.

Azerbaijan “agreed to cooperate with this project as far as it is concerned,” he said.

Last month, Armenia and Azerbaijan brokered a ceasefire to end an outbreak of fighting that left 155 people dead on both sides.

The EU project will begin in October for up to two months, aiming to “build trust” and “contribute” to border projects that were established this year to address issues similar to border demarcation, according to the statement. Said.

The ex-Soviet countries are locked in a decades-long standoff over Nagorno-Karabakh, which is part of Azerbaijan but has been under the control of Armenian-backed ethnic Armenian forces since the end of a separatist war in 1994.

The move comes after leaders of former foes Turkey and Armenia held their first face-to-face meeting since the two countries agreed to relations on Thursday.

The talks took place on the sidelines of a summit of country leaders to launch a “European Political Community” aimed at strengthening security and economic prosperity across Europe.

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