On 9 June, Azerbaijan's Ministry of Defence (MOD) returned the Armenian serviceman Arthur Kartanyan, who was detained a day earlier (Caucasus Watch reported), stating  that his participation in a subversive group was not confirmed. 

“Investigation has shown that Armenian Armed Forces serviceman Arthur Kartanyan lost his way and crossed the border with Azerbaijan by mistake. Kartanyan’s confused answers during the questioning and his behaviour raised doubts as to the detainee’s being part of a sabotage group. Considering this, he was handed over to the Armenian side,” the MOD statement reported. The ministry called this decision to return the captured Armenian serviceman “a show of humanism” given that he “committed no crimes against the Republic of Azerbaijan.” 

Armenia’s MOD announced that the serviceman was handed over to the Armenian side and is currently in Nagorno-Karabakh’s capital of Stepanakert/Khakandi. The ministry did not comment on Armenian press reports that the commander of Russian peacekeeping troops stationed in Karabakh, Lieutenant-General Rustam Muradov, personally negotiated with Azerbaijani officials to secure Kartanyan’s release.  

The country’s acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan called Kartanyan’s release a “very positive step” in the mitigation of tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Pashinyan also stated that he was ready to implement the OSCE Minsk Group proposal “immediately” to end the border tensions. The proposal underscored that the Armed Forces of both countries leave the border in a mirrored fashion, Russian border-guards are deployed along the border and the border adjustment works in Sotk-Khoznavar section should start by the involvement of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmanship.

Speaking at the Primakov Readings forum, the Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated that the issue on status of Nagorno-Karabakh should be agreed with the engagement of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs but now the emphasis should be on the return of peaceful life to the region. “I understand that now many are talking about the unresolved status of Nagorno-Karabakh. It will finally be agreed with the participation of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs which at this phase more probably will not raise the issue of the status but work on reinforcing mutual trust, solution of humanitarian issues, for Armenians and Azerbaijanis again live in security and economic welfare. And at that time, I assure you, in a couple of years if we succeed in ensuring such life all the problems of the status will be settled easier,” he stressed.

Lavrov also stated that Armenia and Azerbaijan must learn to live together as good neighbours. At the same time, he advised not to pay attention to the statements voiced from Yerevan and Baku but exert efforts for the ordinary people to get their life. Lavrov also stated that the second Karabakh war should have been halted earlier than it was. As to the current conflicts on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, the Russian minister said they have no relation to Karabakh. At the same time Lavrov said that not only Armenia and Azerbaijan were interested in the opening of communications between the two countries but Russia, Turkey, and Iran as well the opinion of which should also be taken into consideration during the negotiation process.

In the meantime, the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken held a Senate hearing on the issue of security in the South Caucasus. He said that the US was very concerned by recent developments along the international border between Armenia and Azerbaijan, including the detention of six Armenian soldiers by Azerbaijani forces (Caucasus Watch reported) and the recent death of two journalists in a land-mine incident (Caucasus Watch reported). Blinken also said that the US would continue to look at the appropriateness of providing any aid, including military assistance, to Azerbaijan, given the maintenance of tension in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone.

The US Assistant Secretary of State Philip Reeker was in the meantime conducting visits to the South Caucasus countries. “The US calls on both sides to start substantive negotiations as soon as possible under the auspices of the OSCE Minsk Group for a long-term solution to the conflict,” Reeker said in Baku. He added that the OSCE is the organisation that is ready to help in resolving not only the conflict itself, but also its consequences, including humanitarian issues. He further mentioned the importance of human rights and fundamental freedoms, including civil society and independent media, which was discussed with Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev. Rekker also called for Armenia and Azerbaijan to resolve the incidents on the border urgently and peacefully, emphasising that the US was ready to provide technical assistance on that matter.