NEWS.am digest: 5 Armenian POWs returned, Queen Elizabeth dies

Armenian News - NEWS.am presents the breaking news as of 09.09.22:

ARMENIAN POWS

The Azerbaijani side has returned 5 Armenian POWs, the National Security Service reported.

The action has been welcomed by European Council President Charles Michel and Toivo Klaar, the European Union (EU) Special Representative for the South Caucasus and the Crisis in Georgia.

Meanwhile, the US State Department spokesman Ned Price noted that “the US hopes that Armenia and Azerbaijan will continue taking steps to resolve their outstanding differences.”

Those returned have already been questioned by the Investigative Committee.

ELIZABETH II DIES

Queen Elizabeth II, the UK's longest-serving monarch, has died at Balmoral aged 96, after reigning for 70 years.

She died peacefully on Thursday afternoon at her Scottish estate, where she had spent much of the summer.

The Queen came to the throne in 1952 and witnessed enormous social change.

Her son King Charles III said the death of his beloved mother was a "moment of great sadness" for him and his family and that her loss would be "deeply felt" around the world.

Prime Minister Liz Truss, who was appointed by the Queen on Tuesday, said the monarch was the rock on which modern Britain was built, who had "provided us with the stability and strength that we needed".

Elizabeth II's reign spanned 15 prime ministers starting with Winston Churchill, born in 1874, and including Ms Truss, born 101 years later in 1975.

ARARAT MIRZOYAN, PHILIP REEKER

Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan of Armenia on Friday received Philip Reeker, the new US Senior Adviser for Caucasus Negotiations and new Co-Chair of the OSCE Minsk Group for the US, the Armenian MFA reported.

Welcoming the guest, Mirzoyan wished him success in this responsible position.

The sides touched upon a number of matters related to regional security and stability, and exchanged views on the avenues for the normalization of Armenia-Azerbaijan relations.

During the meeting, a broad range of matters related to the Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) issue were discussed, too. The role of the US as a co-chair country of the OSCE Minsk Group in the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict was noted. Also, the Armenian FM highlighted the importance of using the potential and experience of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmanship institute in the context of achieving a lasting and comprehensive settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

‘NORTH SOUTH’ CORRIDOR

Azerbaijani capital city Baku hosted Friday a joint event on development prospects of "North-South '' Transport Corridor—and with participation of Azerbaijani, Russian, and Iranian officials, APA reported.

The Baku Declaration—on results of the first trilateral meeting among Azerbaijan, Iran, and Russia on the development of the Transport Corridor—was signed at the event.

The declaration was signed by Azerbaijan's Deputy Prime Minister Shahin Mustafayev, Minister of Roads and Urban Development of Iran Rostam Ghasemi, and Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak.