BRUSSELS 

The head of the European Council and France’s president on Friday reiterated the EU’s support for easing tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan after holding talks with the leaders of the two countries.

Charles Michel and Emmanuel Macron held a meeting with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan via video link, Michel’s office announced.

Michel and Macron “reaffirmed their full commitment to supporting efforts aimed at reducing tension and building trust in the region,” the office said in a statement.

The leaders discussed progress in Azerbaijani-Armenian relations since their last meeting in mid-December, such as recent releases of detainees, joint efforts to find missing persons, and work to reestablish railway links.

The EU and France also reconfirmed their willingness to work with partners, including the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) “to build a prosperous, safe and stable” South Caucasus region, the statement added.

Relations between the former Soviet republics of Armenia and Azerbaijan have been tense since 1991 when the Armenian military occupied Nagorno-Karabakh, also known as Upper Karabakh, a territory internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, and seven adjacent regions.

During a 44-day conflict that started in 2020, Azerbaijan liberated several cities, 300 settlements and villages that were illegally occupied by Armenia for almost 30 years.