Armenia and Azerbaijan Negotiate the Establishment of an EU Observer Mission Along the Border

After the recent war for the restoration of Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity, which Armenia actually lost, the sides are negotiating the deployment of a civilian observation mission along the border of the two states. A roadmap for peace and normalization of relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia has been developed, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said yesterday in a joint statement with visiting Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte. Pashinyan noted that in his statement he refers to the quadripartite statement made in Granada by the leaders of Armenia, Germany, France and the European Union. And he expects that agreement on a joint action plan between Yerevan and Baku will ensure a breakthrough in the peace process. The European Union acts as a mediator in the negotiations of the parties. According to the Prime Minister, one of the solutions proposed by Brussels is the placement of the EU civil observation mission along the state border between Armenia and Azerbaijan. European Council President Charles Michel assisted in the development of the “roadmap”. Azerbaijan has not yet commented on Pashinyan’s statements. Earlier Baku noted that it is ready for normalization of relations with Yerevan. *** On 19 September, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry announced an “local anti-terrorist operation” in Karabakh to restore constitutional order. Within 24 hours Baku was able to achieve the separatists’ capitulation. The sides reached an agreement on a ceasefire and the complete disarmament of the “Nagorno-Karabakh Defense Army”. According to the results of the second Karabakh war, the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (Artsakh), unrecognized in the world, will cease to exist from 1 January 2024. The corresponding decree was signed by the president of the so-called NKR Samvel Shahramanyan in late September.