In Brussels on Saturday 15 July, at the end of an additional meeting with the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, and the Prime Minister of Armenia, Nikol Pashinyan, the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, encouraged them to take “further courageous steps to ensure decisive and irreversible progress” towards normalising their countries’ relations.
Although the meeting took place against a backdrop of rising tensions on the ground, Mr Michel said that he had noted “ important momentum in the political discussions and efforts”, adding that this was one of the “most comprehensive and most vigorous” phases in the negotiations between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
“Real progress depends on the next steps that will need to be taken in the near future. As a matter of priority, violence and harsh rhetoric should stop in order to provide the proper environment for peace and normalisation talks”, warned Mr Michel.
During their meeting, the leaders reaffirmed their respect for each other’s territorial integrity and sovereignty, and their unequivocal commitment to the 1991 Almaty Declaration as the political framework for delimiting borders. According to the President of the European Council, work has progressed on the statutes of the border commissions and on discussions concerning the basis for delimitation. “The leaders agreed to intensify and accelerate the work of the commissions” that met on 12 July, he added.
The two parties also made “clear progress” in their discussions aimed at unblocking transport and economic links in the region. They discussed the modalities of future transport agreements. “The construction of the railway connection should be undertaken forthwith. The EU would be ready to contribute financially”, said Mr Michel, adding that, while certain details needed to be clarified, positions were coming closer together and options were being actively explored.
The situation of the Armenian population in Karabakh and around the Lachin corridor was also discussed. “The current state of affairs is clearly not sustainable and is in no one’s interest”, stressed Mr Michel, adding that concrete measures to help bring the situation back to normal had been discussed. He stressed the need to open the Lachin road and encouraged humanitarian deliveries on both sides.
The President of the European Council also called for direct dialogue between Baku and the representatives of Armenians living in the former autonomous region of Nagorno-Karabakh, concerning the rights and security of the population.
Finally, the issue of detainees was addressed, as was the importance of increased cooperation on the fate of missing persons and on demining.
Mr Michel announced that he hoped another meeting would be held after the summer, before the one scheduled in the margins of the European Political Community summit in Granada at the beginning of October. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)