The presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan have agreed at a Brussels meeting to “advance discussions” on a peace deal over Karabakh, a territory which Baku recaptured from Yerevan following a war in 2020. ayokinews.com reports
On Sunday, European Council President Charles Michel, claimed the two leaders had a “frank and productive” EU-mediated talk in Brussels.
“The leaders agreed to advance discussions on the future peace treaty governing inter-state relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan,” Michel said in a statement.
He stated that the process will commence in “the coming weeks” and that he had told the two presidents that “the rights and security of the ethnic Armenian minority in Karabakh must be addressed.”
There will also be a “meeting of the Border Commissions” in the coming days, which will address issues of border delimitation and “how best to ensure a stable situation”.
Michel added that in the coming days, there will be a “conference of the Border Commissions” to discuss border delimitation and “how best to ensure a stable situation.”
The leaders also agreed that transportation routes between both countries should be opened up.
During the meeting, Armenian Prime Minister, Nikol Pashinyan spoke about “preparations for the negotiating process on normalization of ties between the two nations, humanitarian concerns, and the settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict.”
The president “expressed his hope that the process of finalizing the peace deal between the two Baltic countries be hastened,” according to Ilham Aliyev’s office.
Read: Armenia says ‘ready’ for peace talk with Azerbaijan
Aliyev and Pashinyan are both expected to meet again in July or August, according to Michel.
During the 2020 conflict which lasted for 44-days, several cities and about 300 communities and villages held by Armenia for nearly 30 years were liberated by Azerbaijan.
In January 2021, Russia, Azerbaijan, and Armenia inked an agreement to strengthen trade ties and boost infrastructure for the benefit of the entire region. A trilateral working committee on Karabakh was also formed as part of the agreement.
The deal was viewed as a national disgrace in Armenia, sparking weeks of anti-government demonstrations, prompting Pashinyan to seek early parliamentary elections in September, which his Civil Contract party won.
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