Peace process over Nagorno-Karabakh conflict intensified
The Nagorno-Karabakh peace process and development of Azerbaijan and the European Union relations were key topics during talks of the EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus, Herbert Salber, in Baku.
Salber, who arrived in Baku on October 25, was received by President Ilham Aliyev on the same day.
The meeting focused on the ongoing settlement of the ArmeniaAzerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, while Armenia's non-constructive position to constantly hinder the conflict resolution was emphasized.
They also exchanged views on the role of the co-chairs and international community in the settlement of the conflict.
Later, Salber met with Azerbaijani Deputy PM, chair of the State Committee for Refugees and IDPs Ali Hasanov.
Hasanov highlighted the causes and consequences of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and the current state of talks to solve the conflict.
The Deputy PM also spoke about the April incidents on the line of contact of the troops, the biggest escalation of the conflict, since the armistice.
At the meeting with Salber on October 26, Azerbaijan's Minister of Defense, Colonel-General Zakir Hasanov said Armenia tries to destabilize the situation on the frontline.
Discussing the current situation over the settlement of the NagornoKarabakh conflict, Hasanov stressed that 20 percent of Azerbaijani territories still remain under occupation of Armenian troops, which led to displacement of over one million Azerbaijanis from their native lands.
The minister also informed about constant Armenian provocations conducted on the contact line of the troops.
In turn, Salber said that it is necessary to bring peace in the South Caucasus region, adding that the European Union is for peaceful settlement of the conflict as soon as it is possible. “It is necessary to continue the negotiations,” he said.
Azerbaijan`s Minister of Foreign Affairs Elmar Mammadyarov also met with the EU Representative to discuss how to develop the strategic partnership ties and discussed the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
The Azerbaijani top diplomat briefed Salber about the ongoing negotiations to solve the conflict.
In an interview with Trend Salber said that the diplomatic activity is observed around the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
He positively assessed his visit to Azerbaijan, adding that the situation around the conflict settlement was discussed during a meeting with President Ilham Aliyev.
“During my visit, I would like to visit another place close to the line of contact of Azerbaijan and Armenian troops and meet with internally displaced people living in that area,” he added. “During my previous visits, I met with internally displaced people living in Baku and near the city.”
Salber's visit to the country’s west to inspect the conditions created for refugees and IDPs settled close to the frontline is very meritorious deed, since people live in very difficult conditions there compared to those living in the capital.
He went on to add that Russia is very active in drawing proposals and discussions on the Karabakh issue, although it has not yet resulted in a breakthrough.
“On the other hand, we can see that the negotiation process is going on," Salber said.
Salber also hopes that the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict peace talks will lead to an agreement on a meeting of presidents of Azerbaijan and Armenia.
“The EU respects the Minsk Group's activity," Salber said, adding that the EU wants to be informed about the negotiation process regarding the conflict’s settlement.
“I guess that messages that I get from the visit to the region first to Yerevan and now to Baku, are somehow giving hope that things are going on,” he said. “If my impressions are right, something can be achieved. At the end of the day it has to be a compromise solution.”
He noted that the EU has been promoting the ‘European Partnership for the Peaceful Settlement of the Conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh (EPNK)’ program for years.
The EPNK is a unique initiative funded by the EU that seeks to positively impact the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement process. The EU works with local partners in the South Caucasus on a wide range of peacebuilding activities to contribute to lasting peace in the region within this initiative.
“We are now starting the first phase,” he said, adding the EPNK aims to bring people together, people on both sides of the contact line. "We are ready to speak about living peacefully together, about prospects for achieving this.”
The EU has allocated new budget for the EPNK and the Union has suggestions to implement projects focused on bringing people together, and these projects should ideally start in late 2016, Salber said.
Salber went on to add that he met IDPs in Baku and it was interesting to talk to these people concerned by the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, to learn what their feelings and expectations for the future are.
Armenia captured Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding regions from Azerbaijan in a war that followed the Soviet breakup in 1991. More than 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed and nearly 1 million were displaced as a result of the war.
Large-scale hostilities ended with a Russia-brokered ceasefire in 1994 but Armenia continued the occupation in defiance of four UN Security Council resolutions calling for immediate and unconditional withdrawal.
Peace talks mediated by Russia, France and the U.S. have produced no results so far.
Regarding the Azerbaijan-EU relations, Salber said they are certainly in promising period since High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini visited Azerbaijan in early 2016.
Preparations for new agreements between Azerbaijan and the EU are going on in Brussels, Salber noted, voicing his hope that the negotiations will start early next year.