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EU Urges Dialogue Between Azerbaijan, Karabakh Armenians


Moldova - European Council President Charles Michel speaks in Chisinau, March 28, 2023.
Moldova - European Council President Charles Michel speaks in Chisinau, March 28, 2023.

European Council President Charles Michel called for “dialogue” between Azerbaijan and Nagorno-Karabakh’s population on Tuesday two days after Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s fresh threats of military action against Karabakh and Armenia.

He also urged Baku and Yerevan to “reconfirm respect for each other’s sovereignty and territorial integrity” pledged by them during an Armenian-Azerbaijani summit hosted by him earlier this month.

“Dialogue between Baku and Armenians living in former [Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast] on their rights & security is now crucial,” tweeted Michel.

“Important to refrain from maximalist positions and aim for dialogue,” he wrote. “After more than 30 years of conflict, wounds take time to heal. Courageous decisions are needed.”

Aliyev said on Sunday that apart from recognizing Azerbaijani sovereignty over Karabakh Yerevan must also accept Baku’s terms for delimiting the Armenian-Azerbaijani border and opening a corridor to the Nakhichevan exclave.

“They must not forget that Armenian villages are visible from here,” he added during a visit to the border town of Lachin.

Aliyev also said that the Karabakh Armenians must dissolve their government bodies and unconditionally accept Azerbaijani rule, warning that the Azerbaijani military “can carry out any [military] operation in that territory.”

The Armenian government and Karabakh’s leadership condemned the threats. Pashinian suggested that Aliyev may be walking away from understandings reached by them during recent negotiations.

The Armenian Foreign Ministry said Aliyev not only threatened the Karabakh Armenians with “ethnic cleansing” but is also “preparing the ground for another aggressive action against Nagorno-Karabakh’s population.” It also accused him of “casting doubt on Armenia’s independence and territorial integrity.”

Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry rejected the criticism on Tuesday, saying that Yerevan is distorting Aliyev’s remarks, instead of proving its stated support for Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity. It also stressed that Baku intends to “take all necessary steps to reintegrate local Armenian residents.”

Ceasefire violations reported from the “line of contact” around Karabakh have intensified in recent days. Karabakh’s army said that Azerbaijani forces fired on its positions in the territory’s north and east on Tuesday morning. It said one of those positions was hit by mortar fire.

Earlier in the day, Baku accused Karabakh Armenian forces of violating the ceasefire at three sections of the “line of contact.” Stepanakert denied that.

The rising tensions come on the eve of another Aliyev-Pashinian meeting slated for Thursday. The two leaders will meet together with Michel, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Moldova on the sidelines of a European summit.

Michel said that he is “looking forward” to the upcoming talks that are expected to focus on an Armenian-Azerbaijani peace treaty.

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