Speaking on behalf of the EU on 8 August, EU High Representative Kaja Kallas welcomed the agreements that had been reached between Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev that same day under the auspices of the United States, believing that they marked “a significant breakthrough to end decades of conflict”.
“Strongly” commending both parties and the US administration for knowing how to harness this momentum and for enabling progress to be made, the High Representative pointed out that it would “now be important” to ensure that the agreed measures are implemented quickly—in particular, the signing and ratification of the peace treaty.
According to Mrs Kallas, once implemented, the agreed measures are expected to have a positive impact on the region’s overall peaceful development and to “help bring societies divided by legacies of conflict closer to sustainable peace and shared prosperity”. “We continue to stand ready to work with partners towards full-fledged normalisation, providing additional support and expertise, including for the practical implementation of next steps”, added the High Representative.
Secretary General of the Council of Europe Alain Berset described the signing of the agreements as “a historic milestone towards lasting peace in the South Caucasus”. “Overcoming decades of mistrust, territorial disputes, and humanitarian challenges demands difficult but necessary compromises on all sides. We encourage both countries to do their utmost to continue advancing towards peace—not only to rebuild trust, connectivity, and infrastructure but also to actively strengthen our core values”, he added.
Mr Berset specified that the Council of Europe was ready to support Armenia and Azerbaijan—which have been members of the institution since 2001—“as they turn this page in their shared history”. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)