Leaders from Armenia and Azerbaijan have agreed to meet in Brussels on April 6 as tensions rise over the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian said during a government meeting on March 31 that the two leaders would meet with Charles Michel, the president of the European Council, to begin discussions on a "comprehensive peace treaty" after the two countries fought a six-week war over Nagorno-Karabakh in 2020.
"Armenia once again declares that it is ready to sign a peace agreement with Azerbaijan and to start negotiations without delay," Pashinian said.
Azerbaijan's president, Ilham Aliyev, confirmed the meeting at a news conference in Baku, saying the two countries "must advance toward peace and to sign, as soon as possible, a peace agreement."
A Moscow-brokered temporary cease-fire halted the fighting in November 2020, but incidents between the armed forces of arch enemies Azerbaijan and Armenia have been frequent in recent months.
On March 25, three ethnic Armenian soldiers were reportedly killed and several more wounded in clashes with Azerbaijani troops.