UK Lifts Arms Embargo on Azerbaijan and Armenia

The United Kingdom has completely lifted the arms supply embargo on Azerbaijan and Armenia. This is stated in a written statement by Stephen Doughty, Minister of State for Europe and North America, published on the UK Parliament website.

The document notes that London welcomes the progress in the peace process between Armenia and Azerbaijan. According to Doughty, this is "an important step toward peace and stability."

The Minister recalled that on August 8, a tripartite summit was held in Washington with the participation of US President Donald Trump, President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, and Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan, following which a peace treaty was initialed and a declaration was signed.

Doughty further noted: "In recognition of their progress and in order to support further movement toward peace, the UK government has decided to raise the level of bilateral relations with Armenia and Azerbaijan to a strategic partnership. This will solidify cooperation in areas such as trade, security, and defense, and will be supported by annual ministerial-level meetings to review progress made. From August 24 to 26, I visited Armenia and Azerbaijan to reaffirm the UK's support and discussed with the leaders of both countries how the United Kingdom can take practical steps to strengthen the prospects for long-term peace in the South Caucasus. We took immediate action to welcome and support Armenia and Azerbaijan on their path to peace by supporting the dissolution of the OSCE Minsk Group in accordance with their request."

The UK is completely lifting the arms supply embargo for Armenia and Azerbaijan. "This will help develop cooperation in the area of security and protect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the countries, including countermeasures against hybrid threats. Export licenses will be reviewed individually based on strict criteria," the statement concludes.