Armenia and Azerbaijan Return to the Negotiating Table


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The President of the European Council - Charles Michel welcomed the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and the Prime Minister of Armenia - Nikol Pashinyan before the meeting of the European Council in Brussels on April 6, 2022.

Photo: Stephanie Lecocq, EPA-EFE

The leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan will meet in Brussels for talks mediated by the European Union on Aug. 31.

The announcement of the meeting came as Azerbaijani forces assumed control of the Lachin Corridor as per the two countries' 2020 cease-fire agreement, and the operation of an alternative road between Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh bypassing Lachin is expected to become operational in a matter of days.

The meeting is likely intended to chart a course for completion of the remaining stipulations of the 2020 cease-fire while avoiding violent flare-ups that would derail negotiations on a comprehensive peace settlement.

The meeting may result in further clarity regarding the timeline by which the Armenian forces who remain in Nagorno-Karabakh will leave the region, as Armenian officials have indicated they would in September.

Source: https://worldview.stratfor.com