After visiting Baku, Toivo Klaar, the European Union’s representative for South Caucasus, was in Yerevan to hold a series of meetings with officials regarding the ongoing effort to unblock the economic and transport infrastructures in the region—a cause that the EU has been advancing during the past year while ignoring blatant violations of the ceasefire and human rights by Azerbaijan.
In meetings with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan, Klaar pushed the agenda of opening borders between Armenia and Azerbaijan, a topic discussed on April 6, when Pashinyan met with President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan in Brussels in talks spearheaded by the European Council President Charles Michel, who oversaw an agreement by the two leaders to begin the preparations for peace talks between Yerevan and Baku.
According to press reports from Pashinyan’s office and the foreign ministry, the sides on Friday discussed the issues raised during the April 6 meeting, along with the delimitation and demarcation of borders between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
While in Armenia and Azerbaijan, Klaar also met with the countries’ deputy prime ministers who are tasked with proposing a plan to open transport links.
Despite all indications that the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairing format is in limbo as a result of the West’s posturing over the Ukraine crisis, the emphasis was placed on the need for a comprehensive settlement of the Karabakh conflict through the very mediation group, whose fate is unknown.
The European Union has announced a multi-billion dollar investment package for Armenia as part of its Eastern Partnership program’s economic and investment package and implementation of development initiatives.
Aliyev, while meeting with Klaar on Tuesday said that his country has pinned “high hopes” on the EU for advancing the peace talks between Baku and Yerevan.
Yet, Moscow on Thursday, again blamed the United States and the EU for derailing the Karabakh settlement process by refusing to work with Russia within the Minsk Group co-chairmanship format and accused Charles and the EU of usurping initiatives that have been led by President Vladimir Putin of Russia in establishing a ceasefire after the 2020 War.
In a Twitter post on Thursday, Klaar described the talks with the Armenian and Azerbaijani deputy prime ministers as “excellent.”
After meeting with Pashinyan on Friday, Klaar tweeted that they “reviewed developments since 6 April leaders’ meeting, progress on agreed agenda and challenges along the way,” without elaborating further.
