Azernews.Az

BRUSSELS – The European Union's representative for the South Caucasus has said a failure to settle the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict over Upper (Nagorno) Karabakh for another 40 years would be "tragic".

Peter Semneby was replying to a question from Russia’s Kommersant newspaper whether the recent extension of the term of the Russian military base in Armenia to 49 years implies that the Karabakh conflict would remain unresolved for the same term.

Moscow was previously set to vacate the Gyumri base in Armenia in 2020. However, an agreement signed in August updates the 1995 treaty, extending Russia’s military presence by 24 years until 2044, and also commits Russia to updating Armenia's military hardware and ensuring its security.

Semneby said Karabakh settlement is stalling, posing a threat to the region and its neighboring countries.

"This is because this conflict is not in vacuum. More effort should be made to resolve it. It is necessary to reinforce oversight of truce on the Line of Contact, where we have been witnessing incidents and skirmishes in past months. A truce certainly does not solve the problem, but it promotes normalization of the negotiating process."

Semneby declined to comment on the Russian-Armenian defense pact on the Gyumri base.

"I don’t want to assess this agreement, this is a bilateral affair of Russia and Armenia. We are certainly interested in this issue, and I think that there is a need today to consult with various parties and convince the neighbors that this agreement does not pose any threat to them."

Azerbaijan and Armenia fought a lengthy war that ended with the signing of a cease-fire in 1994. Armenia still occupies part of Azerbaijan’s internationally recognized territory. Peace talks have been largely fruitless so far and sporadic clashes on the frontline persist.