Armenia and Azerbaijan lay the groundwork for a peace agreement between the two countries before the European Council

MADRID, 23 May. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The President of the European Council, Charles Michel, held a new meeting this Sunday with the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia, Nikol Pashinian, and with the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, and laid the foundations for a peace and security agreement in the region.

"We have focused on the situation in the South Caucasus and on the development of the European Union's relations with both countries, as well as with the region in general," Michel said in a European Council statement.

Thus, he explained that they have maintained a "frank and productive" debate on humanitarian issues, "including demining, and efforts to free detainees and address the fate of missing persons."

During the meeting they reached an agreement that the Border Commissions will meet at the interstate border in the coming days and "will address all issues related to the delimitation of the border and the best way to guarantee a stable situation", the release.

Also, both leaders have pledged to unblock transportation and communication links between the two countries. "In particular, they agreed on the principles of border administration, security, land charges and customs in the context of international transport."

The leaders of Azerbaijan and Armenia have also agreed to advance discussions on the future peace treaty that will govern interstate relations. This process will be carried out in the coming weeks, including the security of the ethnic Armenian population in Karabakh.

The President of the European Council has assured that the European Union will promote with both parties the work of the Economic Advisory Group, which aims to advance economic development for the benefit of both countries and their populations.

Thus, he stressed the importance of "preparing populations for long-term sustainable peace."

This meeting was the third of these characteristics. Michel chaired another meeting between Pashinian and Aliyev in Brussels in early April to work on a peace treaty.

Armenia and Azerbaijan staged a confrontation in 2020 to take control of Nagorno Karabakh, a territory with a majority Armenian population that has been a focus of conflict since it decided to separate in 1988 from the Azerbaijan region integrated into the Soviet Union.

Hostilities between the two nations lasted for six weeks and left thousands dead. They finally ceased when the two countries reached a Russian-brokered ceasefire agreement, allowing Russian peacekeepers to settle in Nagorno-Karabakh for a period of five years.