During the conversation, the sides hailed the development of cooperation between Azerbaijan and the European Union. Both sides said they attach great importance to this cooperation. The cooperation in the field of energy security, as well as the completion of the Southern Gas Corridor project were noted with satisfaction.
The sides discussed issues of ensuring security and stability in the region following the trilateral statement signed by the leaders of Azerbaijan, Armenia and Russia on November 10, 2020.
President of the European Council Charles Michel affirmed the EU’s readiness to support the process of delimitation and demarcation of the borders between Azerbaijan and Armenia, as well as confidence-building measures between the two countries. Charles Michel called on both sides to cooperate on detainees, mines and other humanitarian issues in full transparency.
President Ilham Aliyev underlined that Azerbaijan is ready to start negotiations with Armenia to sign a peace agreement, saying however, Armenia has not yet responded to this call. European Council President Charles Michel called on both sides to conduct negotiations in a constructive atmosphere.
During the telephone conversation, both sides expressed their interest in ensuring peace and security in the South Caucasus. They also stressed the importance of the European Union's Eastern Partnership program and exchanged views on the upcoming summit in this regard.
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European Council President Charles Michel on Wednesday had a phone call with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and held a meeting with Armenia’s acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in Brussels, the organization said in a statement, AzVision.az reports.
Charles Michel stressed the importance for the EU of stability and prosperity of the South Caucasus and of deepening relations with the two partner countries, said the statement.
“He recalled that the full implementation of the 9 November 2020 ceasefire declaration by Azerbaijan and Armenia is essential for regional security and stability. The EU is ready to provide expertise on border delimitation and demarcation and to support confidence building.”
“The European Union also encourages both parties to cooperate, as matter of urgency, on full transparency with regard to mine fields, and other important humanitarian issues. The EU is providing almost 20 million EUR in humanitarian assistance and will continue to be engaged,” the statement said.
“Addressing these immediate challenges is, however, only a first step towards a sustainable peaceful settlement. The PEC called on both sides to engage in renewed negotiations in a constructive spirit.”
“The European Union has a profound interest in the security, stability and prosperity of the South Caucasus region as an integral part of the EU's Eastern Partnership,” the statement added.
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