Leaders of Armenia, Azerbaijan say peace possible despite differences

FILE PHOTO: A view shows the village of Taghavard in the region of Nagorno-Karabakh, January 16, 2021. Following the military conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh and a further signing of a ceasefire deal, the village was divided into two parts: the Azeri forces stayed in the upper western end and those ethnic Armenians who did not flee live now in the east, reinforced by armed units. REUTERS/Artem Mikryukov/File Photo

(Reuters) - The leaders of Azerbaijan and Armenia are both hopeful they can secure a lasting peace agreement despite their differences over the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, they said in interviews broadcast on Tuesday.

Since the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union, Azerbaijan and Armenia have fought two wars over Nagorno-Karabakh, a small mountainous enclave that is part of Azerbaijan but populated by about 120,000 ethnic Armenians.