Armenia agrees to hold talks with Azerbaijan in Moscow

Source: Agencies
18 May 2023 16:54

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in a cabinet address announces a new Russian proposal for trilateral talks with Azerbaijan, which will be mediated by Russia in Moscow.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev, and Armenia's Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan attending a news conference during their meeting in the Bocharov Ruchei residence in the Black Sea resort Sochi, Russia, on Nov. 26, 2021 (AP)

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan agreed, on Thursday, to hold talks with his Azeri counterpart, in Moscow, following a Russian proposal.

In a cabinet address in Yerevan, Pashinyan said, "We received a proposal from Russia to hold a trilateral meeting at the highest level under the mediation of the president of Russia on May 25. We have accepted that proposal."

In preparation for next week's leadership meeting, the foreign ministers of both Armenia and Azerbaijan will hold trilateral talks in Moscow, on Friday, hosted by the Russian counterpart.

While the West has attempted to sideline Russian efforts and overtake its peace-making role between the two Caucasian countries facing a decades-long territorial conflict, Moscow continues its efforts.

On Sunday, the trio met in Brussels for the second time in two weeks. The European Council President stated that the presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan decided to restart border delimitation talks and resolve the problem via discussions.

Their next meeting will be in July in Brussels. In June, Aliyev and Pashinyan will hold five-way discussions in Chisinau alongside Michel, Emmanuel Macron of France, and Olaf Scholz of Germany. Michel stated that he would like to invite Aliyev and Pashinyan to the European Political Community Summit in Granada in October.

The two former Soviet republics have been warring for decades now over territorial disputes. In 2020, Azerbaijan launched a bloody war recapturing the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabkh. In the process, thousands of Armenians and Azerbaijanis were killed.

Territorial integrity has been the primary cause of discord between the two countries and thus it is expected to be at the top of the agenda. Last month, Pashinyan announced that Yerevan is willing to accept Azerbaijani sovereignty over Nagorno-Karabakh.

Moreover, on Sunday, EU Commission President Charles Michel denied that Brussels had ulterior intentions in holding a round of discussions between Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Pashinyan.

Michel told reporters after a trilateral meeting that "the EU has no hidden agenda. Our sole aim is to help Armenia and Azerbaijan reach a comprehensive and fair peace. We are ready to contribute to their joint efforts. We have agreed to hold the Brussels meetings as often as necessary."