Azerbaijan, Armenia, Germany convene during Munich conference
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Azerbaijan's State News Agency states that the trilateral meeting comes as an initiative of Scholz, marking the first meeting between Aliyev and Pashinyan this year.
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Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, and Ilham Aliyev, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan during a meeting in Munich, Germany, Saturday, February 17, 2024. (AP)
Azerbaijan's State News Agency confirmed on Saturday that the trilateral meeting between Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has kicked off at the Munich Security Conference in Germany.
According to the news agency, this comes as an initiative of Scholz, marking the first meeting between Aliyev and Pashinyan this year.
This also follows an announcement by the Armenian government that Scholz, Aliyev and Pashinyan agreed to work towards a peace agreement.
"A trilateral meeting of Pashinyan, Scholz and Aliyev took place on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference. The process of settling the Armenian-Azerbaijani relations and steps aimed at ensuring peace and stability in the region were discussed. An agreement to continue work on the peace treaty has been reached," it said in a statement.
Simultaneously, the German cabinet relayed that Scholz urged to speed up the pace regarding peace talks between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
EU mission fails at its job
"During these trilateral talks, the federal chancellor urged the early conclusion of the peace talks between the two countries," the cabinet said in a statement.
It added on behalf of Scholz that Germany and Europe were prepared to support the peace process “in the best of their ability,” including efforts by European Council President Charles Michel.
It is worth noting that earlier this week when two Armenian soldiers were killed by Azerbaijani gunfire, the Azerbaijani government questioned the existing EU mission in Nagorno-Karabakh, saying that there were "serious concerns about the aims and purposes of this Mission" and expressed doubt regarding how much the EU Mission is sticking to its role.
The United States and the EU have branded themselves as mediators to a possible peace deal between the two nations; however, no major developments have occurred since the two leaders met with Russian President Vladimir Putin late in May last year.
Moscow has renewed its offer to host talks between Aliyev and Pashinyan, suggesting that a peace treaty could be signed under Russian auspices.
