President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev awarded the Order of Friendship (Dostluq ordeni) to two senior Armenian officials — Alen Simonyan, President of the National Assembly of Armenia, and Armen Grigoryan, Secretary of the Security Council of Armenia — during a secret ceremony held on 9 May at the Presidential Palace in Baku.
The story first reported by the Trend.az news agency, one of Azerbaijan’s media outlets.
Citing unnamed sources within the presidential administration, the Trend.az revealed that the confidential ceremony was attended by a small group of high-ranking Azerbaijani officials with no public announcement or media presence.
The event marks the first time in Azerbaijan’s modern history that Armenian citizens have been decorated with a national award.
Established in 2007, the Order of Friendship ranks among Azerbaijan’s most prestigious civilian awards and is usually granted to foreign nationals who promote goodwill and cooperation with the Azerbaijani government.
The fact that it was conferred on two senior Armenian officials — historically viewed as rivals in a conflict-ridden region—clearly reflects a high-level effort to build trust.
According to the Trend.az report, the Armenian delegation was flown into Baku under tight security early in the morning on May 9. No official images or public statements were released at the time, and the ceremony was not included in any formal government schedule.
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While the Armenian government has offered no official comment, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s recent statement during a cabinet meeting —“There will be no war with Azerbaijan” — has been interpreted as part of a broader message of de-escalation and confidence in ongoing diplomacy.
source: dailymail.uk.net/azerbaijani-president-awards-order-of-friendship-to-armenian-officials
