EU FMs to discuss normalisation of relations between Azerbaijan, Armenia

The process of normalisation of relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia will be discussed at a meeting of European Union (EU) foreign ministers to be held today in Brussels, Azernews reports, citing the Russian press.

The High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, will make a report on the topic.

In addition, the ministers will exchange views on long-term military and economic assistance to Ukraine, the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, the EU mission in the Red Sea, and the 13th package of sanctions against Russia.

In recent years, two significant developments have unfolded under the banner of regional cooperation and normalization. First, during the Azerbaijan-Armenia normalisation process, there has been a noticeable inclination towards a more pro-Armenian stance from the West. Second, Western powers have expressed dissatisfaction with growing cooperation among the states in the region. During the ongoing process, the 3+2 meeting held in Iran and the subsequent agreement on a new road through Iran faced objections from the US. The paradoxical position to the Iranian-Armenian rapprochement in the period after Baku's 2020 Karabakh victory, coupled with Iran's decision to increase the previously agreed unfreeze of funds from $6 billion to $10 billion, raises questions about the sincerity and consistency of this policy.

The main expectation of the Western alliance is to exclude regional states and act as a mediator between Armenia and Azerbaijan. More precisely, to play the role of Armenia's guarantor in peace negotiations. In fact, Armenia clearly wants the West to play the role of guarantor.

While the EU and US were criticising Azerbaijan, Armenia postponed its response to Azerbaijan's peace offer for two months, and it was conveyed to Armenia in September. Azerbaijani President Aliyev stated that there are no longer obstacles to Azerbaijan and Armenia signing a peace treaty. The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry declared that it is ready for direct discussions without a mediator.

Prime Minister Pashinyan and Armenia's foreign minister disclosed that the parties struck an agreement on three principles. The first principle involves mutual recognition of territorial integrity, specifying Armenia's territory as 29,800 square kilometres and Azerbaijan's as 86,600 square kilometres. The second principle is rooted in the 1991 Alma-Ata Declaration, serving as the political foundation for border delineation between Armenia and Azerbaijan based on maps from the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) from 1974 to 1990. The third principle, which focuses on the reopening of regional communications, is guided by principles such as sovereignty, jurisdiction, reciprocity, and equality among the countries involved. These are three of five principles offered by Azerbaijan two years ago. However, Pashinyan did not make any specifications on the unagreed-upon principles and later refused to discuss a peace agreement with Azerbaijan without the participation of a third party.