The President of the European Council, Charles Michel, announced in the evening of Wednesday 6 April progress in the resolution of the conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia, following a trilateral meeting with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.
Mr Michel noted the willingness expressed by Mr Aliyev and Mr Pashinyan to make rapid progress towards a peace agreement between their countries. “To this end, it was agreed to instruct the Ministers of Foreign Affairs to work on the preparation of a future peace treaty, which would address all necessary issues”, the statement said.
Similarly, it was agreed to convene a Joint Border Commission by the end of April, with a mandate to delimit the bilateral border between Armenia and Azerbaijan and to ensure a stable security situation along and near the border.
The leaders also discussed the restoration of communications/connectivity infrastructure. Mr Michel welcomed the steps taken to restore the railway lines, while encouraging both parties to find effective solutions for the restoration of road links.
The President of the European Council also stressed the need for a full and speedy resolution of all outstanding humanitarian issues, including the release of remaining detainees and comprehensively addressing the issue of missing persons. He added that the EU would continue to support confidence-building measures and humanitarian de-mining efforts.
Ensuring the appropriate distancing of forces is an essential element of incident prevention and tension reduction, Mr Michel also recalled.
Finally, he reiterated the EU’s commitment to deepen its cooperation with Armenia and Azerbaijan to work closely together to overcome tensions. The leaders agreed to follow up on the outcome of their meeting and to remain engaged.
See the statement: https://aeur.eu/f/15g (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)