European Council President Charles Michel on Tuesday urged Armenia and Azerbaijan to take "courageous" decisions to settle bilateral relations
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 30th May, 2023) European Council President Charles Michel on Tuesday urged Armenia and Azerbaijan to take "courageous" decisions to settle bilateral relations.
"Important to refrain from maximalist positions and aim for dialogue. After more than 30 years of conflict, wounds take time to heal. Courageous decisions are needed," Michel wrote on Twitter.
The politician added that he expects the leaders of the two countries to continue discussions on the normalization of their relations during their upcoming meeting in Moldova. He stressed the importance of reaffirming respect for each other's sovereignty and territorial integrity, making progress on border demarcation and reducing risks in border areas.
Michel also noted that the "dialogue between Baku and Armenians living in former NKAO (Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast) on their rights and security is now crucial."
The meeting between Armenian Prime Minister Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev is scheduled for June 1 in Chisinau, with the participation of French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
On May 25, Pashinyan and Aliyev visited Moscow and confirmed mutual recognition of each other's territorial integrity, with Nagorno-Karabakh as part of Azerbaijan.
The decades-long conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh flared up in September 2020, marking the worst escalation since the 1990s. Hostilities ended with a Russia-brokered trilateral ceasefire declaration signed in November 2020. The two former Soviet states agreed to the deployment of Russian peacekeepers in the region. Since then, there have been occasional clashes along the border.
