Azernews.Az

By Vugar Khalilov

International agencies have hailed the peace negotiations between Azerbaijani and Armenian leaders organized on April 6 in Brussels, Belgium.

The OSCE Chairmanship praised the meeting, which was organized at the initiative of EU Council President Charles Michel, describing it as the start of a peace process.

"OSCE Chairmanship welcomes the meeting of the leaders of Azerbaijan and Armenia under the aegis of Charles Michel, President of the European Council and launching of the process toward the possible peace agreement. The CiO [Chairman-in-Office​] stands ready to assist in all efforts to ensure a stable and peaceful environment in the South Caucasus," the organization wrote on its Twitter account on April 7.

EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell also described the summit as crucial progress towards peace.

“Crucial efforts and progress made between Armenia and Azerbaijan to work towards lasting peace and a stable and secure South Caucasus. In the current geopolitical context it is more important than ever to find ways to engage and to diplomatically solve conflicts,” Borrel tweeted on April 7.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and European Council President Charles Michel met in a trilateral format in Brussels on April 6.

The meeting was held for a continuation of the discussions on the situation in the South Caucasus region and the development of EU relations with both countries.

The leaders took stock of developments since their last meeting in Brussels in December 2021 and their videoconference, together with French President Emmanuel Macron, in February 2022. They reviewed progress on the implementation of undertaken commitments. The leaders discussed the recently reported tensions and reiterated the necessity of adhering fully to the provisions of the 9/10 November 2020 trilateral statement.

Both Aliyev and Pashinyan have expressed a willingness to work quickly toward a peace agreement between their countries. To that end, it was decided to instruct foreign ministers to begin work on drafting a future peace treaty that would address all of the issues.

At the same time, it was also agreed to convene a Joint Border Commission by the end of April. he Joint Border Commission's mandate will be to: delimit the bilateral border between Armenia and Azerbaijan, and ensure a stable security situation along, and in the vicinity of, the borderline.

---