Bussels: On Saturday, the European Union urged Azerbaijan and Armenia to avoid "violence and harsh rhetoric" at the most recent round of negotiations in a protracted peace process in which Russia is also attempting to maintain a dominant position.
Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan and Nikol Pashinyan of Armenia met with EU Council President Charles Michel in Brussels for talks aimed at ending more than three decades of hostilities.
The two nations have engaged in two wars over Nagorno-Karabakh, a small mountainous region that is a part of Azerbaijan but is home to about 120,000 ethnic Armenians, since the fall of the Soviet Union.
According to Armenia, the proposed peace treaty should grant them special rights and ensure their security. In a June interview with Reuters, Azerbaijan's foreign minister Jeyhun Bayramov rejected that demand, calling it unnecessary and an attempt to meddle in the internal affairs of the country.
The following actions that must be taken soon will determine whether or not there is real progress. In order to create the ideal atmosphere for peace and normalization talks, violence and abrasive rhetoric must end immediately, Michel said.
"The population on the ground needs reassurances, most importantly regarding their rights and security," he told reporters.
Michel claimed that in order to foster trust between Azerbaijan and the Armenians of Karabakh, the EU encouraged Azerbaijan to speak with them directly.
Aliyev and Pashinyan left without giving reporters a press briefing, so it was unclear how he responded. No nation recognizes Nagorno-Karabakh's de facto government, despite its claims to independence.
Along with the EU, the United States has been pressuring the parties to come to a peace agreement. The conflict in Ukraine has diverted Russia, the traditional power broker in the region, and it now runs the risk of having less influence.
On Saturday, Russia declared that it was prepared to arrange a trilateral meeting between Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Russia at the level of foreign ministers. The Foreign Ministry stated in a statement that a summit in Moscow to sign a peace treaty could take place after this..
It stated that "reliable and clear guarantees of the rights and security of the Armenians of Karabakh" and implementation of prior agreements between Russia, Azerbaijan, and Armenia should be an essential component of this agreement.
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