“It was solely focused on initiating a dialogue. Such thing as cooperation was never discussed.”
Herbert Salber met with the so-called foreign minister of the separatist regime in Nagorno-Karabakh, Karen Mirzoyan on Feb.10.
“We will surely continue such type of dialogue, such types of contacts that we had today,” Armenian media quoted Salber as saying during that meeting. “It was my first meeting with the representative of Nagorno-Karabakh. We will continue this dialogue and will see which ways can be found for continuing our contacts.”
The EU Delegation said that Azerbaijani authorities were well aware of such a meeting being prepared, as it was discussed with them on previous occasions, for instance during the last visit of the EU special representative to Baku in mid-January 2015.
EU Delegation added that the EU special representative has always been meeting with representatives of the IDPs in Baku.
“The EU special representative finds it important to listen to all sides, to get acquainted with their positions,“ said the EU delegation to Azerbaijan. “All contacts are also useful to underline EU`s support for the efforts undertaken by the OSCE Minsk Group.”
Commenting on the mentioned meeting, the spokesperson of Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry Hikmet Hajiyev told Trend on Feb.10 that the EU can play a role in promoting contacts between the Azerbaijani and Armenian communities of Nagorno-Karabakh.
“Armenians living in Azerbaijan’s Nagorno-Karabakh region are also Azerbaijani citizens,” said the spokesperson.
“During his visit to Azerbaijan in October 2014, Salber met with the representatives of the Azerbaijani community of Nagorno-Karabakh and became familiar with their views on the conflict’s settlement.”
Azerbaijani side has repeatedly said that contacts are needed between the Azerbaijani and Armenian communities of Azerbaijan’s Nagorno-Karabakh region and EU can pay a role in promoting such contacts, according to Hajiyev.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.
The two countries signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, Russia, France and the US are currently holding peace negotiations.
Armenia has not yet implemented the UN Security Council`s four resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions.
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