Toivo Klaar: The only interest of the EU is a comprehensive  settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict

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.