Azerbaijan holds talks with ethnic Armenians after claiming control of region

A damaged apartment building after shelling in Stepanakert, Nagorno-Karabakh (Siranush Sargsyan/AP)

Azerbaijan regained control of its breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh in a deadly two-day military offensive and held initial talks with representatives of its ethnic Armenian population on reintegrating the area into the mainly Muslim country, Azerbaijan’s top diplomat has told the UN Security Council.

Foreign minister Jeyhun Bayramov reaffirmed Azerbaijan’s determination to guarantee Nagorno-Karabakh residents “all rights and freedoms” in line with the country’s constitution and international human rights obligations, including safeguards for ethnic minorities.