EU reaffirms bloc’s commitment to Armenian-Azerbaijani normalization process ahead of Brussels talks

ISTANBUL (AA) - European Council President Charles Michel expressed the bloc’s commitment Saturday to the Armenian-Azerbaijani normalization process ahead of a trilateral meeting in Brussels.

Michel “expressed EU’s commitment to Arm Az normalisation process” in a telephone call with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, he wrote on X.

He also “reiterated the need for mutual respect of territorial integrity & sovereignty, and for advancing on border delimitation” and stressed the “need to ensure Karabakh Armenians’ security & rights, also over the long term.”

On Thursday, the EU invited Azerbaijani and Armenian leaders for peace talks in Brussels by the end of October.

“We believe in diplomacy and political dialogue. This is why we invite Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan for the meeting,” Michel said following a quadrilateral meeting with Pashinyan on the sidelines of the European Political Community meeting in Granda, Spain.

Aliyev did not attend the meeting in protest of France’s recent military and diplomatic moves in support of Armenia.

The long-awaited meeting between the leaders of Azerbaijan, Armenia, Germany, France and Michel was canceled following the latest diplomatic spat.

Hikmat Hajiyev, foreign policy advisor of the Azerbaijani president, said Baku had proposed the participation of Türkiye and Spain in a planning meeting, but that proposal was also rejected by France.

The meeting was scheduled to be held on the sidelines of the third summit of the European Political Community, which was an initiative of French President Emmanuel Macron to which leaders from more than 40 European countries were invited.

Azerbaijan regained full control over its territory of Karabakh last month after taking counter-terrorism actions, which resulted in the surrender of illegal armed groups, ending a decades-long conflict.

Authorities have repeatedly said that they will protect the rights and ensure the security of the Armenian residents in Karabakh, in accordance with Azerbaijan's law.