Prisoner swap takes place between Armenia, Azerbaijan

A prisoner swap has taken place between Armenia and Azerbaijan, a Russian military commander said on Thursday.

Speaking to reporters, Rustam Muradov, the commander of the Russian peacekeeping forces in Upper Karabakh, said one Azerbaijani and five Armenian prisoners were exchanged according to the terms of the swap.

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

New clashes erupted on Sept. 27, 2020, and during the six-week-long conflict, Azerbaijan liberated several cities and nearly 300 settlements and villages. At least 2,855 of its soldiers were martyred.

There are differing claims about the number of casualties on the Armenian side, which sources and officials say could be as high as 5,000.

The two countries signed a Russian-brokered agreement on Nov. 10 to end the fighting and work toward a comprehensive resolution.

* Writing by Ahmet Gencturk