The Azerbaijani president and the Armenian prime minister met in Brussels on April 6, by invitation of the European Council’s president, Charles Michel, to discuss latest tensions in Nagorno-Karabakh.
After the meeting, Michel released a statement in which he stressed the importance of humanitarian steps to be taken by both sides to promote trust and peaceful coexistence. The European Council’s president called for a full resolution of all human rights issues, including the release of prisoners of war and a comprehensive solution to the problem of missing people in the region.
It was agreed at the meeting that the foreign ministers of both countries will be instructed to work on the preparation of a future peace agreement covering all necessary issues, including delimitation and demarcation of bilateral borders. For this purpose, a Joint Border Commission will be established by the end of April.
The leaders also discussed the restoration of communication infrastructure, not only between Armenia and Azerbaijan, but in the South Caucasus as a whole.
Political commentator Rauf Mirkadirov spoke with Meydan TV about the Brussels meeting. He noted that the it coincided with a period of global confrontation and that the current situation narrows the opportunities for cooperation and diplomatic relations between the West and Russia.
According to Mirkadirov, one of the most important elements of the global confrontation is to ensure Europe’s energy security.
The Caucasus region is very important in terms of energy security and transit goals. Whether it wants to or not, Azerbaijan is becoming an integral part of this confrontation.
Rauf Mirkadirov
The political commentator believes that, while the West is using the mechanisms at its disposal to influence the situation in the Caucasus, Moscow will not easily accept this move.
The Fall 2020 armed conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan in Nagorno-Karabakh ended with a full ceasefire agreement, which came into force on November 10, 2020. Russia played an important role as a intermediary between the South Caucasus countries, and established a permanent peace-keeping mission in the region.
Note: This article was updated on 10 April 2022. An earlier version of the article mistakenly referred to Charles Michel as the President of the Council of Europe rather than the European Council.
