The leaders of Azerbaijan and Armenia are set to resume peace talks this weekend in Brussels, according to officials, as Western allies step up efforts to mediate between the conflict-torn neighbors following recent talks on the disputed border. The battle over the issue has escalated.
Three officials with knowledge of the preparations told the Financial Times that European Council President Charles Michel will host talks between Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev and Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on Sunday.
It will be the first meeting between the two leaders since talks in Munich in February, following extensive discussions between their foreign ministers in Washington last week. U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said the talks “made real progress towards a lasting peace agreement” and he believed “an agreement is within reach”.
Hundreds of soldiers have been killed in sporadic clashes since the all-out war of 2020 ended in a shaky ceasefire. Since then, diplomatic efforts led by the EU and the US on the one hand and Russia on the other have tried unsuccessfully to broker a long-term peace deal.
The two former Soviet republics have been vying for control of the Nagorno-Karabakh territory since the collapse of the Soviet Union. The Armenian-majority region was previously controlled by Armenia before being largely occupied by Azerbaijan in 2020.
One of the three officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the Brussels meeting was an “important sign of progress”, adding that the EU and US efforts were a “mutually reinforcing” and “complementary dual-track process”.
The three leaders are also planning another meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Schulz and French President Emmanuel Macron on the sidelines of the European Political Community summit in Moldova on June 1, the officials said.
Spokespeople for Michel and Aliyev declined to comment. A spokesman for Pashinyan did not respond to a request for comment.
“Azerbaijan is very satisfied with Charles Michel’s mission because (the EU) has no hidden agenda,” said Aliyev’s foreign policy adviser Hikmet Hajiyev. He added that the EU process had worked out “key concepts” for the negotiations and their structure.
The talks are likely to focus on Azerbaijan’s recent decision to set up a checkpoint in the Lachin corridor, the only road from Armenia to Nagorno-Karabakh. They will also discuss border delineation, prisoner exchanges and efforts to clear the enclave of thousands of landmines.
Yerevan said Baku was using checkpoints to choke off vital food and medicine supplies to Nagorno-Karabakh, while Baku said it was necessary to prevent arms smuggling into the region.
“It is normal for every country to regulate its own territory,” Hajiyev said. “The road is open, but the road to illegal traffic is closed.“
The EU-led effort is also a test of its influence in its wider neighbourhood, and a challenge to Moscow’s historical influence. Some 2,000 Russian troops are stationed in Nagorno-Karabakh as peacekeepers after brokering a 2020 ceasefire.
Hajiyev said Baku was “flexible” about holding meetings in Moscow, Washington or Brussels, noting that the process should be more “inclusive” in order to achieve results.
“Russia can effectively contribute to the peacebuilding process in the region,” Hajiyev said. “But it is also true that Russia is very concerned about the war in Ukraine.”