BAKU, Azerbaijan, January 4. Azerbaijan and Armenia are capable of conducting direct bilateral talks without mediators, Assistant to the President of Azerbaijan - Head of the Foreign Policy Department of the Presidential Administration Hikmat Hajiyev said in an interview with Berliner Zeitung newspaper, TurkicWorld reports.

"After the end of the Second Karabakh War in 2020, it was Azerbaijan who initiated the peace negotiations with Armenia by submitting the five basic principles in accordance with the well-known norms of international law, which, among other, include the mutual respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity, mutual confirmation of the absence of territorial claims against each other, and establishment of the diplomatic relations. Azerbaijan has been negotiating with Armenia in good faith in different venues to achieve a long-awaited peace in the region. We really believe there is a historic chance to reach a peace treaty and we should not to miss this opportunity. Significant progress has been achieved with regard to the text of the peace treaty, however there are still a few pending issues," he said.

Hajiyev noted that recently both countries astonished the world with positive agenda.

"I refer to the landmark joint statement of the Azerbaijani President's Office and the Armenian Prime Minister's Office on December 7, as a result of which 34 soldiers were released as part of the mutual exchange deal. Furthermore, Azerbaijan has supported the Armenian candidature for Eastern European Group COP Bureau, while Armenia has supported Azerbaijan's candidacy to host COP29. This shows that Azerbaijan and Armenia are capable of conducting direct bilateral talks without mediators," he added.