Reuters: Iran to host Armenia-Azerbaijan peace process talks amid Middle East tensions

Foreign ministers from Iran, Turkey, and Russia will meet with Armenian and Azerbaijani counterparts in Tehran on Oct. 23 to discuss progress towards a peace agreement, Reuters reported on Oct. 22.

The meeting takes place amidst rising tensions in the Middle East surrounding the outbreak of conflict in Israel.

Russian and Iranian state news channels both confirmed the location of the meeting. According to Iran's IRNA news agency, the countries wanted to talk about regional issues "without the interference of non-regional and Western countries." Russian state news revealed that Russian FM Sergei Lavrov is expected to travel to Tehran on Monday.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev previously proposed Georgia as a location for peace talks between Azerbaijan and Armenia.

In mid-September, the Azerbaijani military  launched a lightning-offensive in Nagorno-Karabakh. Local authorities eventually surrendered in a ceasefire mediated by Russia.

A formal decree was later signed, dissolving all official institutions of the breakaway state from Jan. 1, 2024. Following Azerbaijan's victory, around 100,000 people have left Nagorno-Karabakh for Armenia.