Leaders of Russia, Armenia, Azerbaijan to hold trilateral meeting in Sochi

The leaders of Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia will hold a trilateral meeting in Sochi on Friday, the Kremlin announced on Tuesday.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev, and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan will review the implementation of agreements on Nagorno-Karabakh, a statement said.

They also plan to draft further steps aiming to strengthen stability and establish peaceful life in the region, it added.

"Special attention will be paid to the restoration and development of trade, economic and transport ties," it said.

Liberation of Karabakh

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

New clashes erupted on Sept. 27, 2020, and during the six-week war, Azerbaijan retook several cities and 300 settlements and villages.

The conflict ended in November 2020 in a Russia-brokered deal that saw Armenia cede swathes of territory it had occupied for decades.

In January, the leaders of the three countries agreed to develop economic ties and infrastructure for the benefit of the entire Caucasus region.