Brussels (Brussels Morning) – Armenian Prime Minister and European Council President discuss Armenia-EU cooperation and the peace strategy for Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict at Brussels summit.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had a meeting with European Council President Charles Michel within the framework of the first-ever Nuclear Energy Summit in Brussels. Nikol Pashinyan and President of the European Council Charles Michel have also been concerned about issues related to Armenia-EU cooperation.
The interlocutors swapped views on the Armenia-Azerbaijan peace strategy, and the importance of implementation of the arrangements reached based on the results of the tripartite discussions between the President of the European Council, the Prime Minister of Armenia and the President of Azerbaijan held in Brussels on May 14 and July 15, 2023, was highlighted.
According to those contracts, the Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Azerbaijan mutually recognize each other’s territorial integrity established on the 1991 Alma-Ata Declaration, delimitation between Armenia and Azerbaijan will be undertaken based on the Alma-Ata Declaration, the opening of regional infrastructures will take place under the sovereignty, jurisdiction of Armenia and Azerbaijan, on the regulations of reciprocity and equality. The Armenian Prime Minister reaffirmed the responsibility of the Government of the Republic of Armenia to the mentioned deals and presented the “Crossroads of Peace” project.
Armenia, historically an immediate ally of Russia, has strengthened ties with the West in the wake of the Kremlin’s fighting in Ukraine, sending humanitarian assistance to Kyiv, staging joint drills with U.S. troops, and freezing its membership in Moscow’s military cooperation, the CSTO. Pashinyan’s government has stated it may even one day seek to join the EU.
Armenia’s pause with Russia comes after the Kremlin declined to take its side in a simmering dispute with neighbouring Azerbaijan, which Pashinyan this week stated could descend into another bloody battle between the two former Soviet republics.
An Azerbaijani offensive in September last year defeated the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh, beginning a mass exodus of its 100,000 Armenian citizens as Russian peacekeepers watched on. Azerbaijan rejects it has plans to launch an invasion of Armenia itself. While European Council President Charles Michel had historically managed talks with Armenia and Azerbaijan before the circumstances in Nagorno-Karabakh, his team did not immediately reply to requests for comment or affirm whether he would attend the meeting with Pashinyan.
In Dec 2023, The president of the European Council greeted an agreement between Azerbaijan and Armenia for the liberation of detainees and taking “tangible steps” toward building confidence.
“Delighted to welcome a major break-through in Armenia-Azerbaijan relations as they issue a joint statement. Welcome in particular release of detainees and outstanding opening in political dialogue,” Charles Michel reported on X.
Azerbaijan and Armenia declared in a statement that they agreed to mutually discharge detainees in a step toward peace. “The Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Azerbaijan share the opinion that there is a historical chance to reach a long-awaited peace in the region.
Two countries reconfirm their purpose to normalize relations and to reach a peace treaty based on respect for the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity. Establishing and deepening conversation between the two countries has been a fundamental objective of the EU-led Brussels process, expressed Michel, adding that “today’s progress is a critical step.” Michel noted that he pressed the leaders to finalize a peace deal as soon as possible.
