The EU describes as an “important step” the meeting in Tbilisi between Armenia and Azerbaijan

July 19 () –

The High Representative of the European Union (EU) for Common Foreign and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, has described as “an important step” the meeting held on Saturday in Tbilisi between the foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan, Ararat Mirzoián and Jeyhun Bayramov , respectively, the first such meeting since the war in 2020 in the Nagorno-Karabakh region.

“I welcome the meeting between Mirzoián and Bayramov in Tbilisi. It is an important step towards a comprehensive solution,” Borrell said on his Twitter account. “The EU is fully committed to supporting a peaceful, secure and prosperous South Caucasus. Normalization and reconciliation can only be achieved through direct dialogue,” he added.

One of the main objectives of the meeting was to advance the agreement reached in May by the leaders of the Caucasus countries to pave the way for a peace treaty. Thus, both ministers addressed a series of issues related to the normalization of relations between the two countries.

However, the atmosphere of the meeting was tense as the Defense Ministries of Armenia and Azerbaijan have been exchanging accusations about attacks in the border area between the two countries. The nearly two months of war in 2020 left more than 6,500 dead and led Armenia to cede parts of the territory that had been under its control for decades after a Russian-sponsored ceasefire.