On 14 June, many international actors praised the confidence building swap deal between Baku and Yerevan, which involved the return of 15 Armenian detainees in exchange for minefield maps around Nagorno-Karabakh. This trade was facilitated by the US Acting Assistant Secretary for European and Eurasian Affairs Philip Reeker and Georgia’s Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili.

“We welcome the return of 15 detainees to Armenia today and handover to Azerbaijan of info that will facilitate demining. This shows the values of OSCE and the Swedish Chairmanship of OSCE. These confidence building measures can help create an atmosphere for talks under the auspices of Minsk Co-Chairs. We are happy to work with Georgia, the US, and the European Union” wrote the OSCE Chairperson in Office Ann Linde. Noting that core issues remain, Linde urged Armenia and Azerbaijan to build upon these positive steps by releasing all remaining detainees, and resuming high-level negotiations under the auspices of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs and with the assistance of the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Andrzej Kasprzyk. 

The EU High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy Joseph Borell also praised the recent developments. “These are important humanitarian and confidence-building gestures by Baku and Yerevan that will hopefully open the path for further cooperation between the sides and the ultimate release of all Armenian detainees, as well as the handing over of all available maps of mined areas to avoid further civilian casualties,” read his statement. 

“The European Union and other international actors have actively encouraged moves in this direction, and we urge further cooperation between the countries involved. We will continue to promote a durable and comprehensive settlement of the conflict, including where possible through support for stabilisation, post-conflict rehabilitation and confidence-building measures and reiterate our call on Armenia and Azerbaijan to reengage in substantive negotiations under the auspices of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs,” the statement added.

The EU Council President Charles Michel was also vocal towards the agreement on his Twitter account. “I applaud Azerbaijan’s and Armenia’s parallel humanitarian gestures - releases of detainees and maps of mined areas,” he wrote. “The EU has supported this process and will continue to offer assistance to enhance progress," Michel added.

“The US welcomes the release by Azerbaijan of 15 Armenian detainees. We’re grateful to the Government of Georgia for its vital role in facilitating discussions between the sides. Such steps will bring the people of the region closer to the peaceful future they deserve,” the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken wrote on Twitter.

Moscow also praised the parallel humanitarian actions. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova wrote on her Telegram channel: "The long-awaited and wonderful news. We welcome these steps of the parties." 

The acting Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan also spoke publicly on the exchange, saying that the focus now lies on getting the rest of the Armenian PoWs out of captivity. He also emphasised that only a fraction of all minefield maps were transferred. “We have handed over the maps with minefields, but this is a tiny part of the maps that we have. I want to note that back in December we exchanged such maps, and these are the maps of minefields that do not divide our positions, these are the maps [of the minefields] that are located in the rear of Azerbaijan,” he said.