Baku urges EU to demonstrate precise position on Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
By Mushvig Mehdiyev
Baku called on the European Union to demonstrate a precise position towards the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict since the influential organization has yet to formulate a well-thought stance on the ongoing conflict.
Azerbaijani Foreign Minister, Elmar Mammadyarov said the EU should align itself on other international organizations and put forward a precise approach towards the conflict in Karabakh.
In a meeting with the EU Commissar on European Neighborhood Policy and Enlargement, Johannes Hahn on April 8, Mammadyarov informed the commissar about recent developments in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, giving him some updates on the efforts which Baku exercised in view of a fast resolution.
"The status-quo is unacceptable, and the Armenian forces should withdraw from the occupied Azerbaijani lands," he said.
Mammadyarov believes that new opportunities will emerge in view of regional developments should this conflict be resolved.
Earlier in March, Hahn said in Yerevan that the EU was contributing to the negotiations over the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict’s settlement brokered by the OSCE Minsk Group.
The diplomat confirmed that the status-quo was unacceptable and that the main objective of the talks was to achieve a peaceful end to the problem, adding that the EU backed the continuation of dialogues between Armenian and Azerbaijani presidents.
Azerbaijan's internationally recognized Nagorno-Karabakh territory has become a conflict zone following Armenia's aggression in the early 1990s. As a result of Armenia's armed invasion, 20 percent of Azerbaijan's territory fell under Armenia's occupation. Nonetheless, the OSCE has attempted to foster a peaceful resolution to this conflict amid Armenia's persistent derailment.
Referring to relations with the EU, Mammadyarov said Azerbaijan plans to build strategic relations with the EU as it did with many European countries.
Azerbaijan-EU cooperation in the field of energy alongside the importance of TAP and TANAP projects were also at the forefront of talks.
Prior to the sitting with Mammadyoarov, Hahn met with Azerbaijani President, Ilham Aliyev to discuss bilateral ties and further prospects of cooperation.
Hahn will also meet several state officials in Azerbaijan as part of his visit to hold talks on the changes to neighborhood policy, strengthening the Azerbaijan-EU ties, the upcoming Riga Summit of the Eastern Partnership program and other issues.
Hahn's official visit to Azerbaijan will end on April 9, according to the Foreign Ministry.
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