Azernews.Az

BAKU – European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso has said retaining the status quo in the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict over Nagorno Karabakh is unacceptable, Armenia’s Mediamax news agency reported.

Speaking after a meeting with Armenian Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan in Brussels on Tuesday, Barroso also reminded that the long-standing conflict is to be resolved peacefully, based on the principles of non-use of force, territorial integrity of states and self-determination of nations.

"We are concerned over the reports of armed incidents along the Line of Contact [of Azerbaijani and Armenian troops] in Nagorno Karabakh and the ongoing militarization of the region," Barroso said.

He termed the Karabakh conflict as the main hurdle to regional development.

Barroso said the European Union supports the mediating OSCE Minsk Group’s efforts and continues facilitating cooperation and good neighborliness ties in the region through the comprehensive framework of the Eastern Partnership program, which envisions the bloc’s closer political and economic partnership with six ex-Soviet states.

Azerbaijan and Armenia fought a brutal war that ended with the signing of a fragile cease-fire in 1994. About 20 percent of Azerbaijani territory has been occupied by Armenian armed forces since then. Peace talks brokered by the US, Russian and French co-chairs of the Minsk Group have been largely fruitless so far.

The European Commission president said further that the EU firmly supports the process of normalizing Turkey-Armenia relations.

"We call on both sides to remain committed to this historic process. I am confident that new opportunities for this dialog will open up in the future," Barroso said.

Turkey and Armenia, which have been at odds for decades, signed agreements to establish diplomatic relations in late 2009. However, Turkey has assured Azerbaijan, its ally, that the accords will not be ratified until progress is made in resolving the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict. In response, Yerevan suspended parliamentary approval of the protocols in April 2010.