Azerbaijan returns eight Armenian troops

Azerbaijan has handed over eight Armenian servicemen including several who it claims were involved in clashes with Azerbaijani forces in November.

Azerbaijan's State Commission on Prisoners of War, Missing Persons and Hostages said the move to return the servicemen on Monday was on humanitarian grounds.

The French presidential office said the return came after mediation by France and the European Union and that the return was done by a French plane.

Azerbaijan and Armenia fought a six-week war in 2020 that ended with Azerbaijan regaining control of territory that had been held by Armenian forces for more than 25 years.

Sporadic clashes have broken out in the area since then; Azerbaijan said some of the returned servicemen took part in November clashes that killed seven Azerbaijani and six Armenian soldiers.