On September 8, The State Commission on Captive and Missing Hostage Citizens of Azerbaijan released information that Azerbaijan handed over five Armenian soldiers to the Armenian side.

"On the initiative of Charles Michel, the President of the Council of the European Union, and according to the bilateral agreement reached as a result of the discussions held at the meeting between the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and the Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan in Brussels on August 31, on September 8, five Armenian soldiers will be released and handed over to the other party at the Azerbaijan-Armenia state border," the state commission said. 

The National Security Service of Armenia confirmed the return of five Armenian servicemen from Azerbaijan. "We welcome this move as a step towards the normalization of relations," the Armenian National Security Service said in a statement.

Reaction from the US and EU 

Charles Michel, the President of the Council of the European Union, welcomed Azerbaijan's handover of five Armenian soldiers to the other side. "I welcome the release of five more Armenian detainees by Baku after the discussions held in Brussels on August 31. This is the first time that the handover was carried out bilaterally, which means confidence for Azerbaijan and Armenia. "Solving all outstanding humanitarian issues is a top priority," Charles Michel stressed. 

In addition, Toivo Klaar, the EU's special representative for the South Caucasus and Georgia crisis, welcomed the handing over of five Armenian soldiers to Armenia by the Azerbaijani side. "We welcome the news of the release of five Armenian servicemen detained by Azerbaijan after the leaders' meeting in Brussels on August 31. "This is an important humanitarian gesture, and it is also remarkable that the handover process took place without intermediaries," Klaar said on Twitter. 

The US also applauded Azerbaijan's handover of Armenian servicemen to the other side. "We welcome the news about the return of Armenian prisoners to their homes. This is a positive thing for the peace process between Armenia and Azerbaijan. We hope that all the remaining prisoners will soon return to their homeland and that Azerbaijan and Armenia will continue to take steps to build trust and resolve existing differences," Ned Price, the US State Department Spokesman, said on Twitter.