Azerbaijan, Armenia agree to instruct FMs to start working on future peace treaty - European Council president

BAKU. April 7 (Interfax) - Baku and Yerevan have agreed to instruct the foreign ministers to start working on a future peace treaty, European Council President Charles Michel said.

Michel noted Azerbaijan's and Armenia's desire to "move rapidly" towards a peace agreement between their countries. "To this end, it was agreed to instruct Ministers of Foreign Affairs to work on the preparation of a future peace treaty, which would address all necessary issues," the European Council president said in a statement published on the European Council site following the second trilateral meeting with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in Brussels on Wednesday.

The sides also agreed to create before the end of April a joint border commission for border delimitation and demarcation. The mandate of the commission will include border delimitation and ensuring a stable security situation along and in the vicinity of the borderline.

The participants in the meeting in Brussels reaffirmed the need for full observance of the provisions of the trilateral statement of November 10, 2020, Michel said.

The European Council president reaffirmed the commitment of the European Union to deepening cooperation with Baku and Yerevan, emphasizing the importance of humanitarian gestures by both sides.

Michel stressed "the need for the full and speedy resolution of all outstanding humanitarian issues, including the release of remaining detainees and comprehensively addressing the issue of missing persons, and stated that the EU is ready to support this endeavor."

"The EU will likewise continue to support confidence building measures between Azerbaijan and Armenia as well as humanitarian de-mining efforts, including by continuing to provide expert advice and stepping up financial assistance, and assistance to conflict-affected populations, rehabilitation and reconstruction," the European Council president said.

"President Michel also stressed that ensuring the appropriate distancing of forces is an essential element of incident prevention and tensions reduction. President Michel reaffirmed the EU's readiness to provide advice and support," the statement said.

The leaders of Azerbaijan and Armenia "also discussed the restoration of communications/connectivity infrastructure between Armenia and Azerbaijan in particular and in the South Caucasus more broadly," Michel said. He welcomed the steps towards the restoration of railway lines, while encouraging Armenia and Azerbaijan to also find effective solutions for the restoration of road links, saying the EU supports these steps.