Aliyev to meet European Council president, Armenian PM in Brussels on April 6

The European Union has hosted a meeting of high-level officials from Azerbaijan and Armenia in Brussels to advance joint efforts to find solutions to a range of issues between both countries.

In particular, discussions focused on preparations for the upcoming meeting between President Charles Michel of the European Council, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in Brussels on 6 April 2022.

The meeting between Assistant to the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Hikmat Hajiyev and Secretary of the Security Council of the Republic of Armenia, Armen Grigoryan was facilitated by EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus Toivo Klaar.

During substantive discussions, which also included a separate bilateral conversation between Mr Hajiyev and Mr Grigoryan, the participants reviewed the political and security situation and the full spectrum of issues between Armenia and Azerbaijan as a follow-up to the understandings reached during the meeting of leaders of both countries and President Michel, held in Brussels on 14 December 2021.

The participants agreed to meet again over the coming weeks in order to continue discussions, among others on issues raised during the leaders’ meeting on 14 December 2021. Armenia and Azerbaijan will also address issues related to prospects for a peace agreement between them.

The European Union remains committed to continue its engagement towards sustainable peace and stability in the South Caucasus.

Humanitarian issues were one of the main topics of a virtual meeting attended by French President Emanuel Macron, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, European Council President Charles Michel and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on February 4.

At the meeting, Aliyev underlined that Armenia had to provide information about the mass graves of 3,890 missing Azerbaijani citizens (including 71 children, 267 women and 326 elderly people). The presidents of France and the European Council both supported this issue.

Armenia, which is responsible for determining the fate of about 4,000 missing Azerbaijani citizens, promised to cooperate in this matter.

However, later Yerevan broke its promise, remaining true to its usual rhetoric. Thus, Armenia has grossly violated the Geneva Convention of 1949 and relevant international legal norms. On the contrary, after the 44-day war, Azerbaijan handed over the remains of more than 1,700 Armenians to Armenia.