European Council President Charles Michel says dialogue and diplomacy wanted to resolve disaster.
The European Union has invited the leaders of Azerbaijan and Armenia to renew peace talks following Azerbaijan’s lightning army offensive in Nagorno-Karabakh final month, which triggered the flight of tens of 1000’s of ethnic Armenians.
In a gathering of European leaders within the Spanish metropolis of Granada on Thursday, European Council President Charles Michel mentioned he invited Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev to satisfy in Brussels this month.
“We imagine in diplomacy. We imagine in political dialogue,” Michel instructed reporters on the summit of the European Political Neighborhood, a discussion board together with greater than 40 international locations.
Aliyev declined to attend the summit in Granada, the place European leaders had hoped that Armenia and Azerbaijan might work to resolve tensions and attain an settlement over Nagorno-Karabakh.
On the summit, leaders additionally pledged help for Armenia because it grapples with the fallout of the Azerbaijani army operation final month to grab management of the enclave, primarily populated by ethnic Armenians.
Many EU leaders have condemned the Azerbaijani operation and a few governments have known as for the bloc to contemplate powerful measures towards Baku, which has insisted it took reputable motion to regain management of part of its sovereign territory.
Tens of 1000’s of ethnic Armenian residents have fled Nagorno-Karabakh to neighbouring Armenia since Armenian separatists have been forced into a ceasefire on September 20 after a 24-hour army operation by the a lot bigger Azerbaijani army.
The European Parliament handed a decision on Thursday accusing Baku of “ethnic cleaning”.
Many European leaders have expressed concern over the humanitarian state of affairs in Nagorno-Karabakh, and Michel, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz declared their “unwavering help” for Armenia’s territorial integrity on Thursday after assembly with Pashinyan.
Nevertheless, there doesn’t seem like consensus amongst European leaders over potential sanctions for Azerbaijan, an important source of oil and pure gasoline for the EU and an ally of america. France’s Macron mentioned that whereas Azerbaijan appeared to have “an issue with worldwide legislation”, steps resembling sanctions wouldn’t be productive.
Leaders on the summit agreed to step up assist to Armenia, with European Fee President Ursula von der Leyen saying that the EU will present $5.53m in emergency assist on prime of an analogous quantity beforehand introduced.