Azerbaijan open to Russian mediation in border dispute with Armenia

The South Caucasus republic of Azerbaijan has shown openness to possible Russian mediation in establishing a demarcation line with its hostile neighbour Armenia.
"Azerbaijan ... is ready to constructively resolve the issue of the border line with Armenia," Prime Minister Ali Asadov said at a meeting with other heads of government of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), according to a statement on Saturday.
In this context, he said, they supported a proposal by Russia to form a trilateral commission.
Armenia's acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had previously spoken out in favour of a withdrawal of Armenian and Azerbaijani troops and the deployment of international observers.
Since the recent war over the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh, there have been repeated tensions in the border area.
During the war over Nagorno-Karabakh, which lasted from September 27 to November 9, 2020, Azerbaijan reclaimed large parts of the territory it had lost in the early 1990s. More than 6,000 people died in the fighting.
Russia had brokered a ceasefire between the two hostile countries.
Most recently, the arrest of six Armenian soldiers by Azerbaijani security forces has caused tensions. Azerbaijan stated that the men had wanted to cross the border in the direction of the Kalbajar region, but Armenia denied this.