The President of the European Council, Charles Michel, announced, on Thursday 5 October in Granada, that he would be inviting the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, and the Prime Minister of Armenia, Nikol Pashinyan, to a meeting in Brussels in the coming weeks.
“We believe in diplomacy, we believe in political dialogue. This is why I will be inviting the two leaders, Prime Minister Pashinyan and President Aliyev, to a meeting in Brussels before the end of October”, he announced after a meeting with Mr Pashinyan, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. Although Mr Aliyev, was initially due to take part in the meeting, in the end he was not present in Granada (see other news).
Mr Michel confirmed that Mr Pashinyan would attend the meeting in Brussels. On the Azerbaijani side, Hikmet Hajiyev, President Aliyev’s adviser, had assured earlier in the day that his country was ready to take part in tripartite meetings between the EU, Baku and Yerevan in Brussels in the near future. He reiterated Azerbaijan's support for “direct bilateral dialogue and negotiations on the process of normalising relations and on the peace treaty”.
The President of the European Council stressed the importance of mutual recognition of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan and Armenia, and that the delimitation of borders must be based on the Almaty Declaration.
A few minutes earlier, in a joint statement, Mr Michel, Mr Macron, Mr Scholz and Mr Pashinyan said they remain committed to all efforts directed towards the normalisation of relations between the two Caucasus countries, “based on mutual recognition of sovereignty, inviolability of borders and territorial integrity of Armenia (29,800 km²) and Azerbaijan (86,600 km²)”. In their view, there is also an urgent need to work towards border delimitation based on the most recent USSR General Staff maps that have been provided to the sides, “which should also be a basis for distancing of forces, and for finalizing the peace treaty and addressing all humanitarian issues”.
The leaders called for strict compliance with the principle of the non-use of force and the threat of force. They also asked Baku and Yerevan to release all detainees, to cooperate in resolving the fate of missing persons and to facilitate demining work.
Greater regional cooperation, the reopening of all borders, including that between Armenia and Turkey, and the opening of regional links based on full respect for the sovereignty and jurisdiction of countries and on the principles of equality and reciprocity were also called for.
Unwavering support for Armenia’s territorial integrity
Mr Michel, Mr Scholz, Mr Macron and Mr Pashinyan also discussed the situation in Armenia, underlining their “unwavering” support for the independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity and inviolability of the country’s borders.
They expressed their support for strengthening EU-Armenia relations, “in all its dimensions”, based on Armenia’s needs. “Armenia and the EU are bound by shared political values and a commitment to a rules-based international order. In these difficult times, the EU and Armenia stand shoulder to shoulder. We are determined to further strengthen relations between the EU and Armenia”, added Mr Pashinyan and the President of the Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, in a joint statement issued at the end of their meeting.
The Presidents, the Chancellor and the Prime Minister also agreed on the need to provide additional humanitarian aid to Armenia, which is facing the consequences of the arrival of 100,000 Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh. Refugees from Nagorno-Karabakh must be free to exercise their right to return to their homes and their places of living, “without any conditions, with international monitoring, and with due respect for their history, culture and for human rights”, they warned.
Earlier in the day, the European Commission announced that it was doubling its humanitarian aid from €5.2 million to €10.4 million, while the Commissioner for Crisis Management, Janez Lenarčič, will visit Armenia this Friday to assess the situation and discuss further targeted support, in particular through the EU’s Civil Protection Mechanism.
The European Commission will also mobilise €15 million under the annual programmes for Armenia, which can be used as budget support to the State to address socio-economic needs and purchases of food and fuel.
In addition, the EU4Peace programme will receive an additional €800,000 to support emergency assistance, confidence-building measures, and media outlets known for their balanced reporting.
Discussions will also be held between the European Commission and Armenia on further support, including the urgent provision of technical assistance, notably through the TAIEX and Twinning programmes, to address issues such as aviation and nuclear safety, and on the Economic and Investment Plan (EIP), which can provide up to €2.6 billion of investment.
Finally, the Commission announced that it would support Armenia’s participation in regional projects, in particular the Black Sea electricity cable project with Azerbaijan, Georgia, Hungary and Romania.
Ms von der Leyen also announced preparations for a joint EU-US event in support of Armenia. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant with Pauline Denys)