EU Special Representative for South Caucasus left Yerevan for Istanbul

Baku/09.12.22/Turan: EU Special Representative for South Caucasus Toivo Klaar arrived in Istanbul from Yerevan on December 9. In the Armenian capital he held meetings with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan and head of the Security Council Armen Grigoryan.

Armenian media report that the meetings discussed the peace agreement between Yerevan and Baku, developments around Nagorno-Karabakh, the rights and security of Karabakh Armenians.

Koivo Klaar himself wrote on his Twitter account: "A short visit, but substantive meetings in Yerevan with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan and Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan. Now to Istanbul".

Claar does not say what the purpose of his visit to Istanbul is. Whether he will also visit Baku is also unknown.

Recall that Klaar was in Baku on November 28 and held talks with President Ilham Aliyev and Foreign Minister Ceyhun Bayramov.

Following the meetings in Baku he then wrote on his Twitter: 1)."Important commitment by the Azerbaijani President to the EU-backed format. 2). Many challenges remain; Azerbaijan and Armenia need restraint and a strong political will to reduce tensions and achieve a comprehensive settlement. 

Klaar's latest trips seem to be related to the disruption of the trilateral meeting in Brussels on 7 December. Ilham Aliyev then rejected Nikol Pashinian's demand to invite French President Macron to the meeting too.

Klaar's mentioning that Aliyev is "committed to the EU format" can be seen as an attempt to find a mutually acceptable formula and continue Armenian-Azerbaijani contacts in Brussels with the participation of European Council President Charles Michel. -02B-