Azerbaijan, EU eye future peace deal with Armenia
By Vugar Khalilov
Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov and EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus Toivo Klaar have discussed regional issues, as well as a future peace deal with Armenia, the ministry reported on April 12.
In a telephone conversation, the sides discussed the latest regional developments, steps to normalize relations between the two countries, including the preparation of a future peace agreement, following the meeting held between the Azerbaijani and Armenian leaders in Brussels with the EU Council president's mediation and participation, as well as exchanged views on humanitarian issues.
On April 11, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov and his Armenian counterpart Ararat Mirzoyan discussed the work on the preparation of the future peace treaty, the convening of the Joint Border Commission, as well as humanitarian issues.
The direct phone conversation between the Azerbaijani and Armenian ministers, the first in about 30 years, is a follow-up to the agreements reached at the level of both states' leaders in Brussels on April 6.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and European Council President Charles Michel met in a trilateral format in Brussels on April 6.
The meeting was held for a continuation of the discussions on the situation in the South Caucasus region and the development of EU relations with both countries.
The leaders took stock of developments since their last meeting in Brussels in December 2021 and their videoconference, together with French President Emmanuel Macron, in February 2022. They reviewed progress on the implementation of undertaken commitments. The leaders discussed the recently reported tensions and reiterated the necessity of adhering fully to the provisions of the 9/10 November 2020 trilateral statement.
Both Aliyev and Pashinyan have expressed a willingness to work quickly toward a peace agreement between their countries. To that end, it was decided to instruct foreign ministers to begin work on drafting a future peace treaty that would address all of the issues.
At the same time, it was also agreed to convene a Joint Border Commission by the end of April. The Joint Border Commission's mandate will be to: delimit the bilateral border between Armenia and Azerbaijan, and ensure a stable security situation along and in the vicinity of the borderline.
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