Sunday in Brussels, the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan agreed to "advance discussions" on a peace accord for the Nagorno-Karabakh territory.

President of the European Council Charles Michel conducted bilateral discussions with both the Azerbaijani and Armenian prime ministers. They later engaged in conversations about Nagorno-Karabakh.

Michel tweeted that "tangible progress" had been made and that the next meeting would take place in August.

What was the meeting's primary focus?

Following the negotiations, the European Council issued a press release stating that four main themes were covered at the trilateral meeting.

Aliyev and Pashinyan concurred on the necessity of unblocking transport links between the two nations, prompting the establishment of a panel for border delimitation and border security.

The EU also stated that it would forward the work of the Economic Advisory Group, which aims to promote economic development for both countries.

According to Aliyev's office, he informed Michel that "Azerbaijan had laid out five principles based on international law for the normalization of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan and for the signing of a peace agreement,"

The office of the Armenian prime minister stated that Pashinyan talked with Michel about the situation around Nagorno-Karabakh and humanitarian difficulties and emphasized the need to settle them.

The reconciliation plan has sparked protests in Yerevan, with government critics claiming that Pashinyan's approach is too accommodating.

What is the conflict's origin?

Since the 1990s, tensions between the two separatist ex-Soviet republics over Nagorno-Karabakh — the disputed border territory between the two countries — have risen.

The region, located in Azerbaijan's Muslim-majority Azerbaijan, is predominantly populated by Armenian Christians.

During a battle in 1991, Yerevan conquered Nagorno-Karabakh. The conflict lasted four years and did not finish until Russia intervened. Approximately 30,000 people perished.

Even though a peace deal was reached in 2008 to consolidate a resolution, the region has experienced outbreaks of violence throughout the years.

These tensions culminated in a full-scale conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh in 2020. Azeri soldiers employed ballistic missiles, cluster explosives, and drones to reclaim the region.

In November, the war formally ended due to a peace agreement that saw Armenia cede control of the province and Russian forces take over.