HERMAN DE CROO SAYS INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY MAY EXERT PRESSURE TO END KARABAGH DISPUTE

Armenpress
08 April

BAKU, APRIL 8, ARMENPRESS: The speaker of the Belgian House of
Representatives, Herman de Croo, told reporters in Baku that the
international community may move to place strong pressure on Armenia and
Azerbaijan to force them to end their dispute over Nagorno Karabagh if they
fail to reach a peace deal.
De Croo arrived in Baku on the third and last leg of his visit to the
South Caucasus, which he began by visiting Yerevan. He warned against
attempts to try to resolve the conflict by the use of military force, saying
the parties should seek a dialogue instead to negotiate an effective peace
formula.
The Belgian official praised the OSCE and some other international
communities for their efforts to end the conflict and emphasized the role of
the European Neighborhood Policy (ENP), a new EU initiative to help some
countries, including Azerbaijan and Armenia, to build democracy and market
relations, saying both nations’ participation may play a positive role in
terms of their desire to end their dispute.
Herman de Croo avoided giving a direct answer to a reporter’s question
who wondered whether Belgium recognizes Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity,
saying his country as an EU member defends all efforts of the OSCE Minsk
group. “I believe these efforts will eventually produce positive results,”
he said.