European Council President Charles Michel
European Council President Charles Michel is stepping up efforts to establish peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan amid rising tensions in the region. According to the American edition of “Politico”, Charles Michel held bilateral meetings with the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan during the European Political Community in London on July 18.
Michel also sent messages to both sides, urging them to return to the negotiating table and "finalize the peace agreement" by making progress on unresolved issues such as border delimitation.
Frustration is growing in Brussels over the months-long delay in negotiations and the diplomatic impasse, due to which the long-awaited peace has not been concluded, the author of the article notes.
Despite the meetings with Michel, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev could not find an opportunity to sit down at the negotiating table, while both sides accuse each other of refusing to meet.
"Ultimately, both sides should stop playing games and make a deal, as EU President Michel has done everything possible to reach a peace agreement," said a senior diplomat close to Michel.
“Politico” notes that last week the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry accused Armenia of "committing provocations" along the common border of the two countries and threatened to "take the necessary retaliatory measures using all means at their disposal for self-defense." Azerbaijan also criticized the military support provided to Yerevan by EU countries such as France in an attempt to create a balance of power between the two historical rivals, the author concludes.
Politics
-
The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders (OPHRD), a joint program of the World Organization against Torture (OMCT) and the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), has called for the urgent release of activist Rufat Safarov from prison in Azerbaijan. It has launched a campaign in support of the Azerbaijani human rights defender. https://www.omct.org/en/resources/urgent-interventions/arbitrary-detention-and-judicial-harassment-against-rufat-safarov
-
This year, the laureate of the annual Nargiz Prize, awarded for efforts in the fight for democracy, was Akif Gurbanov, chairman of the board of the Resplatforma (Platform of the III Republic) movement, who is under arrest.
-
The U.S. will prohibit the issuing of visas for nearly a dozen more individuals responsible for undermining democracy in Georgia, bringing the total number to over 100, TURAN's Washington correspondent reports.
-
The President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, has expressed condolences to the President of Germany, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, following the tragic incident in the city of Magdeburg. "We are deeply shocked by the news of the deaths and injuries resulting from the tragic incident that took place at the Christmas market in Magdeburg," the message reads.
Leave a review