BRUSSELS, Belgium, July 15. We have also discussed possible concrete steps that will help normalize the situation in the South Caucasus, Charles Michel, President of the European Council, told journalists, following the meeting with President of the Republic Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Trend reports.
"Our exchanges have once again been frank, honest and substantive. Our meeting was the latest in a series of intensive and productive high-level meetings involving Armenia’s and Azerbaijan’s leaders, Deputy Prime Ministers and Foreign Ministers since early May, in Brussels, Chișinău, Washington, Moscow and on the bilateral border. We are going through one of the most comprehensive and vigorous stages of negotiations between Armenia and Azerbaijan. I commended the leaders for their strong commitment to the peace process and encouraged them to take further courageous steps to ensure decisive and irreversible progress on the normalisation track. And even though our meeting took place in the context of a worrying increase in tensions on the ground, I noted an important momentum in the political discussions and efforts. We discussed all issues on the agenda," he said.
Today, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev held a meeting with President of the European Council Charles Michel and Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan in Brussels.
During the trilateral meeting, issues of delimitation of borders, continuation of negotiations on a peace treaty, opening of transport corridors, connection of Nakhchivan with the main territory of Azerbaijan, withdrawal of illegal military formations from the territory of Azerbaijan and their disarmament, as well as issues related to the facts of smuggling were discussed.
The sides also discussed the prospects of transportation of humanitarian goods intended for Karabakh from Barda-Aghdam, issues of further residence of the Armenian population of Karabakh on the basis of the sovereignty and laws of the Republic of Azerbaijan.
At the same time, the issue of the Western Azerbaijan Community and their return to their homes was discussed during the negotiations.