“On this occasion, the EU remembers all Armenian and Azerbaijani victims of the conflict over the past 30 years. Being fully conscious of this difficult legacy, it calls on both sides to turn the page of enmity and continue reconciliation efforts in order to prevent further unnecessary loss of human lives and damages,” a spokesperson for the EU’s Foreign Affairs and Security Policy said in the statement.
According to the statement, the EU welcomes “the numerous steps undertaken by the Armenian and Azerbaijani leaderships to overcome their differences and reach a durable and sustainable peace in the region” and “commends their sustained engagement in ongoing negotiations at various levels and in different formats.”
“While these negotiations are obviously difficult and will require time, it is crucial not to lose the momentum, to agree on concrete steps forward, and to ensure a safe, secure and prosperous environment for the benefit of all populations in the region.
“In the still fragile environment, with the wounds of the past 30 years far from being healed, the EU reiterates its call on the sides to moderate their rhetoric and avoid any unnecessary escalation of tensions, including by refraining from threats or allegations against each other and military provocations and actions,” the statement said.
It added that the EU “will continue its active engagement in responding to the wish of both sides and supporting them in their work towards a comprehensive and fair settlement of all remaining issues, including through the personal efforts of President of the European Council Charles Michel, High Representative Josep Borrell, EU Special Representative Toivo Klaar as well as other mechanisms of the EU.”
The EU statement comes amid accusations by the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan – Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian and President Ilham Aliyev – against each other of falling short of fulfilling the Russia-brokered ceasefire of November 9, 2020 as well as further agreements concerning Nagorno-Karabakh and broader Armenian-Azerbaijani relations.
The war of words between the two countries’ leaders is accompanied by official reports from the tense border about fresh ceasefire violations. The sides blame each other for the violence in which at least one Armenian soldier was heavily wounded in recent days.
Nearly 300 soldiers were killed on both sides in border clashes between Armenia and Azerbaijan in mid-September in what Yerevan said was another aggression by Baku to further occupy sovereign Armenian territory. Azerbaijan rejects the claim.
The escalation of border violence in September was followed by a flurry of diplomatic activity, with Yerevan and Baku engaging in talks hosted by the European Union, the United States and Russia.
During EU-hosted talks in the Czech capital of Prague on October 6 Pashinian and Aliyev, in particular, confirmed their countries’ commitment to the UN Charter and the Alma-Ata Declaration of 1991, through which both sides recognize each other’s territorial integrity and sovereignty.
They effectively reaffirmed this commitment in a joint statement issued as a result of talks hosted by Russian President Vladimir Putin in Sochi on October 31.
The diplomatic engagement raised hopes for a possible peace deal between the two South Caucasus nations to be concluded by the end of the year, a prospect that officials on both sides did not rule out.
In October, a group of civilian monitors was deployed in Armenia by the European Union for two months to patrol the country’s volatile border with Azerbaijan following arrangements made at the Prague meetings.
The foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan, Ararat Mirzoyan and Jeyhun Bayramov, met in Washington on November 7 for another round of talks hosted by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, announcing after their meeting that they “agreed to expedite the negotiations and organize another meeting in the coming weeks.”
In his public comments before discussions behind closed doors Blinken praised Armenia and Azerbaijan for taking “courageous steps” toward peace.