ATHENS/BRUSSELS

The EU late Thursday invited the leaders of Azerbaijan and Armenia for the peace talks in Brussels by the end of October. 

“We believe in diplomacy and political dialogue. This is why we invite Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan for the meeting,” European Council President Charles Michel said following a quadrilateral meeting with Pashinyan on the sidelines of the European Political Community meeting in Granda, Spain.

“Three principles are extremely important: First, the mutual recognition of territorial sovereignty and integrity of both Azerbaijan and Armenia. Secondly, the delimitation of the borders should be based on the Almaty Declaration. Thirdly, the development the connectivity based on principles of sovereignty, jurisdiction, and reciprocity,” he said.

A peace treaty, delimitation of the borders, connectivity, the exchange of prisoners, the question of the missing persons, and de-mining efforts are important for normalization, said Michel.

“We support a stable and prosperous Caucasus,” he said.

Michel gave no response when he was asked by an Azerbaijani reporter where the EU was when 1 million Azerbaijanis were displaced because of the Armenian occupation in the Karabakh region.

The reporter then asked how the Union, which remained silent in the last 30 years and presently speaks on behalf of Armenians, can play a neutral mediator role.

"Yes, the EU is a neutral mediator because we have no hidden agenda," Michel responded.

Aliyev did not attend the meeting in Spain in protest of France’s recent military and diplomatic moves in support of Armenia.

French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna visited Yerevan on Tuesday and announced that France is ready for the delivery of military equipment to Armenia.

The long-awaited meeting between the leaders of Azerbaijan, Armenia, Germany, France and Michel was canceled following the latest diplomatic spat.

Hikmat Hajiyev, foreign policy advisor of the Azerbaijani president, said Baku had proposed the participation of Türkiye and Spain in a planning meeting, but that proposal was also rejected by France.

The meeting was scheduled to be held on the sidelines of the third summit of the European Political Community, which was an initiative of Macron to which leaders from more than 40 European countries were invited.
Hajiyev underlined that Azerbaijan is still open to talks in Brussels, in the format of the EU, Azerbaijan and Armenia, which would be facilitated by Michel.

“At the same time, Azerbaijan supports direct and bilateral dialogue and negotiations on the process of normalization of relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia and the peace treaty talks,” he wrote on social media.


EU’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell expressed regret Thursday about the cancellation of the planned meeting in Granada with Azerbaijani and Armenian leaders.

“It’s a pity that Azerbaijan isn’t here and it’s a pity that Türkiye, as the main country that supports Azerbaijan, isn’t here either,” he told reporters.

Azerbaijan regained full control over its territory of Karabakh last month after taking counter-terrorism actions, which resulted in the surrender of illegal armed groups, ending a decades-long conflict.

Authorities have repeatedly said that they will protect the rights and ensure the security of the Armenian residents in Karabakh, in accordance with Azerbaijan's law.