Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev met today in Abu Dhabi to attend the 2026 Zayed Award for Human Fraternity, an annual independent and international award recognizing individuals or entities across the world who work to bridge divides and create human connections.

This year, the prize has been awarded to the peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan, to Afghan education advocate Zarqa Yaftali, and the Palestinian Taawon NGO.

The Secretary General of the Zayed Award, Judge Mohamed Abdelsalam, said that honoring Armenia and Azerbaijan reflects the very mission of the prize: “to promote and foster a culture of dialogue and coexistence.”

Pashinyan called the award a “great honor” in recognition of the efforts undertaken to help establish peace in the Caucasus region, and a sincere acknowledgement of everyone who contributed to bringing this historic agreement to fruition.

“That we [Armenia and Azerbaijan] are sharing this award reflects a mutual and collective achievement,” Pashinyan said according to the organization’s website.

Aliyev formally acknowledged the Zayed Award for Human Fraternity’s recognition of the peace agreement and conveyed his thanks to the 2026 award judging committee for honoring initiatives aimed at fostering peace in the South Caucasus region and globally.

Pashinyan and Aliyev have been named 2026 honorees of the Zayed Award in recognition of the peace process between the two countries. 

Honorees, according to the organization, receive a US$1 million prize. The award is named in honor of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the founder of the United Arab Emirates.

Pashinyan’s office reports that he and Aliyev reaffirmed their readiness to continue working towards further strengthening peace and stability between the two countries and agreed to maintain contacts to support the process of normalizing bilateral relations. They also discussed implementation of the TRIPP and other infrastructure projects.

See video of award ceremony HERE