US, Russia, EU held secret meeting in Turkey days before Baku's attack
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Parties were attempting to persuade Azerbaijan to remove the blockade on the Nagorno-Karabakh region.
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A view shows an Azerbaijani checkpoint at the entry of the Lachin corridor, the Nagorno-Karabakh region's only land link with Armenia on July 30, 2023. (AFP)
A secret meeting was held in Turkey between officials from the United States, the European Union, and Russia to discuss a possible settlement to the tensions in the Nagorno-Karabakh region just two days before Baku launched its military operation in the Armenian-populated area, Politico said in a report published on Wednesday citing officials informed on the matter.
The officials met in Istanbul on September 17 in an effort to convince Baku to lift the blockade it had imposed on the region since last year, the report added.
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The attending representatives were Washington's Senior Advisor for Caucasus Negotiations, Louis Bono, EU's designated special representative for the South Caucasus, Toivo Klaar, and Russia's special envoy on relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan, Igor Khovaev.
The border region between Azerbaijan and Armenia has been a source of tension and sporadic clashes since the ceasefire agreement was brokered in November 2020, ending the six-week conflict between the two countries over the Nagorno-Karabakh region.
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However, Azerbaijan announced last month the launching of an "anti-terrorist" operation to take control of the region and remove the self-declared Armenian authorities. The military operation was concluded just one day later with Baku announcing that it was able to reclaim its "sovereign territories."
Over 100,000 Nagorno-Karabakh residents have moved to Armenia since September 24, according to information provided by Nazeli Baghdasaryan, the spokesperson for the Armenian cabinet.
Following this declaration, Nagorno-Karabakh's authorities, with the mediation of Russian peacekeepers, agreed to disarm and relinquish all their weaponry to Baku the following day.
