EU seeks to revive Armenia-Azerbaijan peace talks, aid Yerevan

GRANADA, Spain, Oct 5 (Reuters) – The European Union on Thursday invited the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan for talks to try to revive a peace process thrown into crisis by an Azerbaijani military operation that prompted more than 100,000 ethnic Armenians to flee Nagorno-Karabakh.

Charles Michel, the president of the European Council of EU leaders, said he had invited Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev to meet in Brussels by the end of October.

"We believe in diplomacy. We believe in political dialogue," Michel told reporters as he announced the meeting at a summit in the Spanish city of Granada of the European Political Community, a forum of more than 40 countries.

Aliyev snubbed a proposed meeting with Pashinyan, Michel and the leaders of France and Germany at the summit. But Michel said he expected both sides to attend the Brussels talks, noting Baku had said it would take part in future EU-mediated meetings.

At the summit, leaders also pledged support for Armenia as it grapples with the fallout of the Azerbaijani military operation last month to seize control of the enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh, mainly populated by ethnic Armenians.

Many EU leaders have condemned the Azerbaijani operation and some governments have called for the bloc to consider tough measures against Baku, which has insisted it took legitimate action to regain control of a part of its sovereign territory.

The European Parliament passed a resolution on Thursday accusing Baku of "ethnic cleansing" and urging the EU to impose sanctions on Azerbaijani officials responsible for ceasefire violations and human rights abuses in Nagorno-Karabakh.

But diplomats say they do not see a consensus among EU countries for sanctions against Azerbaijan, a growing supplier of oil and gas to the EU as the bloc pivots away from Russian energy following Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.

Given their disagreements on Azerbaijan, leaders instead focused on help for Armenia, such as a boost in humanitarian aid and pledges of economic and political support as Yerevan tries to distance itself from traditional ally Russia.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the EU would provide another 5.25 million euros ($5.53 million) in emergency aid, on top of 5.2 million announced, to alleviate the plight of those who fled from Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia.

After meeting Pashinyan in Granada, Michel, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz declared "unwavering support to the independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity and inviolability of the borders of Armenia".

That statement reflected Armenian fears that Azerbaijan may launch a military assault on its territory. Azerbaijan has insisted it has no intention of any such operation.

"Azerbaijan supports direct and bilateral dialogue and negotiations on the process of normalization of relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia and the peace treaty talks," Hikmet Hajiyev, Aliyev's foreign policy adviser, posted on social media platform X. ($1 = 0.9495 euros)