ArmInfo."It is impossible to reach a settlement (of the Nagorno- Karabakh conflict, ed. note) without taking into account the opinion of the Karabakh Armenians," EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus and the crisis in Georgia Toivo Klaar said answering the question whether President of the European Council Charles Michel take into account the participation of the Armenians living in Nagorno Karabakh, when after a trilateral meeting in Brussels stated that for a just and lasting peace, it is necessary to discuss all major issues with the participation of all interested parties.
"I think, in the end, the Armenians of Karabakh (he used the Azerbaijani version of the name - ed. note) are, of course, a party that should be part of the solution, whatever it may be: And it is quite obvious that the people living in Karabakh, fundamentally interested in reaching a comprehensive settlement. I personally do not see how such a settlement can be reached without taking into account the opinions and points of view of these people," he said.
To the remark that after the meeting in Brussels, Michel spoke only about the rights of the ethnic Armenians of Artsakh, without saying anything about the status of it, which caused concern in Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh, Klaar assured that the key issue here is a comprehensive settlement of the conflict.
""I think, in the end, the issue is that this should be a comprehensive settlement. And we all know how the conflict started, it must be finally closed. President Michel did not mention much in his statement. This was not a statement that covered all the issues that need to be addressed. But the fact is that we have always stressed that a comprehensive settlement of the conflict is necessary, we are working in that direction," the EU Special Representative said in an interview with RFE/RL's Armenian Service
However, according to Toivo Klaar, he receives generally positive messages from both capitals. "The message I received is that the leaders' meeting in Brussels a few weeks ago has yielded some concrete results. We had the first meeting of the border commissions. Then in Moscow a meeting was held between the Deputy Prime Ministers to discuss the opening of communication channels, which the leaders had discussed in Brussels. We are very excited. The response from Baku is that the assessment of both the Brussels meeting and its further course is positive. So, there is quite a positive momentum. And I think it can be developed," he said. Regarding the uncertain status of Nagorno-Karabakh, Toivo Klaar assured that the most important thing now is to try to move the process forward. Meanwhile, reacting to the remark that while Yerevan is talking about the OSCE Minsk Group, Baku insists that the Nagorno-Karabakh issue is closed and the co-chairs can be dissolved, the European diplomat assured that the European Union does not claim to have copyright on anything.
"We are interested in seeing progress and supporting it, I think that is what President Michel was able to achieve through his three meetings with the leaders, as well as through his meeting with Presidents Macron, Aliyev and Prime Minister Pashinyan. And that is what we want to do," said the diplomat, reminding of other existing platforms, particularly the trilateral meetings at the highest level in Moscow and the Commission on unblocking infrastructures chaired by the Deputy Prime Ministers has restored its sessions.
"It's great, very good if it leads us in the right direction. So the only interest of the European Union is to help the process and reach a lasting comprehensive settlement," Klaar concluded.
On May 22, Brussels hosted a trilateral meeting with the participation of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and European Council President Charles Michel. Following the talks, Michel said that the first meeting of the border commissions will be held in the near future, during which issues related to the delimitation of the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan will be considered. In a statement by the head of the European Council following a meeting with the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan on June 22, on the issue of transport communications, it is noted that the leaders agreed on the need to start unblocking transport communications. "They agreed on the principles governing transit between western Azerbaijan and Nakhijevan and between different parts of Armenia through Azerbaijan, as well as international transport through the communication infrastructure of both countries. In particular, they agreed on the principles of border management, security, land fees, as well as customs rules in the context of international transportation. In the coming days, the vice-premiers will continue this work," Michel said. At the same time, Charles Michel's statement does not say a word about the status and future of Nagorno- Karabakh. Moreover, in his statement, the head of the European Council, instead of the generally recognized term Nagorno-Karabakh, used the Azerbaijani term "Karabakh" and the wording "Armenian ethnic population of Karabakh." In addition, his statement does not mention any trilateral agreements at the level of the leaders of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia, or other generally accepted principles of settlement.