RA NA speaker hopes Azerbaijani, Turkish leaders will arrive in EPC  summit in Armenia

ArmInfo. We must be prepared for Azerbaijani delegations to visit Yerevan, and Armenian delegations to Baku. This was stated by Speaker of the National Assembly Alen Simonyan on October 31 in a conversation with journalists, commenting on Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev's refusal to participate in the European Political Community (EPC) summit in Yerevan.

The Speaker of the National Assembly reported that during a recent  meeting with his Azerbaijani counterpart, the issue of the  Azerbaijani delegation's non-participation in the PA Euronest event  held in Armenia was also discussed. "During the meeting with my  colleague, he asked me to convey that they have no problem coming to  the Republic of Armenia, and their non-participation in Euronest is  solely due to their relations with this organization, and they see no  problem with our cooperation and mutual visits," he noted. 

"Of course, there are issues that need to be discussed, particularly  the issue of our prisoners and detainees- this is the biggest  problem. Nevertheless, contacts are maintained, and we intend to  deepen them. When I say 'we,' I also mean the Azerbaijani side. From  recent contacts, I understand that we are on the same page," Simonyan  said.

In this regard, the Speaker of the National Assembly expressed hope  that Ilham Aliyev's decision is not final and that the leaders of  Azerbaijan and Turkey will still attend the ENP summit. "We will do  everything to ensure that Aliyev and Erdogan feel at ease in  Armenia," he added.

Earlier, Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan announced that the  presidents of Turkey and Azerbaijan-Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Ilham  Aliyev-have been invited to the European Political Community summit,  which will be held in Yerevan in the spring of 2026. Azerbaijani  media later reported that Aliyev did not plan to participate in the  meeting, citing the fact that "the insufficient level of bilateral  relations does not yet allow President Aliyev's visit to Yerevan to  be considered a relevant step."

As a reminder, the 8th summit of the European Political Community  will be held in Armenia on May 4, 2026. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol  Pashinyan announced that he has officially invited his leading  colleagues from participating countries to Yerevan.

The European Political Community (EPC) is an intergovernmental  organization established for political and strategic discussions on  the future of Europe, proposed by French President Emmanuel Macron in  May 2022. Macron's proposal aims to provide a platform for  coordinating the policies of all European countries and to promote  political dialogue and cooperation to address issues of common  interest, strengthening the security, stability, and prosperity of  the European continent, particularly in relation to the energy  crisis. The EPC also includes non-EU member states such as the United  Kingdom, Azerbaijan, Iceland, Ukraine, Moldova, Turkey, Georgia, and  Armenia.

Armenia's intention to host this event was first announced by Russian  Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. At a meeting at the Russian-Armenian  University in Yerevan, Lavrov reported that the Russian side had  assessed this initiative during talks with its Armenian counterparts.  The minister expressed hope that this assessment is understandable  and will be received with respect, just as Russia respects the  actions of its partners and allies within the CIS and CSTO. The  summit was initially initiated as a format for the participation of  European OSCE members, excluding Russia and Belarus. According to the  Russian Foreign Minister, this circumstance alone indicates the  purpose for which this community was created.