The United Kingdom has announced the lifting of its arms embargo on Armenia and Azerbaijan. The respective statement was posted on the website of Stephen Doughty, the UK Minister of State for Europe, North America and Overseas Territories in the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office.

The minister linked the aforesaid decision to the progress achieved in normalizing Armenian-Azerbaijani relations at the August 8 meeting in Washington and to the dissolution of the OSCE Minsk Group. The statement notes changes in bilateral relations, which, according to London, open new opportunities for regional cooperation.

“In recognition of Armenia’s and Azerbaijan’s progress, and to support continued momentum towards peace, the UK Government have decided to upgrade their bilateral relationships with both Armenia and Azerbaijan to strategic partnerships. These partnerships will formalise co-operation in areas including trade, security, and defence, and will be underpinned by annual ministerial-level meetings to review progress,” Doughty added.

Also, the UK minister recalled his visits to Armenia and Azerbaijan in late August, and noted that during those visits he discussed with the leaders of both countries “how the UK could take practical measures to reinforce the prospects for long-term peace in the South Caucasus.”

“Given the significant progress made in advancing peace, and the historic outcomes of the recent summit in Washington hosted by President Trump, the UK considers that the rationale underpinning the OSCE’s 1992 recommended arms embargo on all deliveries of weapons and munitions to forces engaged in combat in the Nagorno-Karabakh area has fallen away,” the UK minister noted.

The statement emphasizes that export and trade license applications for Armenia and Azerbaijan will continue to be assessed on a “case-by-case basis against the robust UK Strategic Export Licensing Criteria.” It notes that this approach involves an individual review of each transaction, taking into account the established rules and procedures.