EU-Armenian Partnership Council to meet

Armenian delegates will attend the Armenia-EU Partnership Council today in Brussels.

Topics to be discussed include repercussions of the six-week Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, which roiled the Caucuses. The meeting takes place amid prisoner swaps between Armenia and Azerbaijan. On Monday, Armenia’s deputy prime minister welcomed a Russian plane returning 44 Armenian former captives to the capital Yerevan.

Today, Brussels will urge investigation of possible war crimes committed during the conflict. The EU’s resolution concerns providing substantial humanitarian aid to locations where atrocities agonised the civilian population. The EU has largely abstained from assuming a key role in the gas-rich South Caucuses, thus leaving the area under Russian and Turkish influence. Seizing the opportunity, Moscow upheld its status in the region by mediating the ceasefire agreement and deploying Russian peacekeepers.

Although the EU was not extensively involved in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, it will likely strive for a stronger foothold to counter the Russian and Turkish presence in the region. Concerned that the conflict could resurface in the near future, the EU will seek to ensure that ceasefire procedures are fully abided by. Otherwise, it will likely penalise the aggressor.

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