Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov met with Herbert Salber, the European Union Special Representative for the South Caucasus

Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov met with Herbert Salber, the European Union Special Representative for the South Caucasus within the 23rd Ministerial Council of the OSCE.

At the meeting, the sides had a broad exchange of views on the perspectives of Azerbaijan-European Union relationship and the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

Minister Elmar Mammadyarov informed his interlocutor about the current status of the negotiations process on the settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. He added that the unlawful presence of the armed forces of Armenia in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan remains the main cause of escalation in the conflict zone and is the major impediment to political settlement of the conflict.

Assessing the high-level substantive discussions in Vienna and St. Petersburg meetings as positive steps in the right direction, Elmar Mammadyarov emphasized that the withdrawal of the Armenian armed forces from the occupied territories of Azerbaijan will significantly improve the overall security environment in the whole region.

Elmar Mammadyarov said that pursuing a destructive policy, Armenia avoids the substantive negotiations, strengthens its military build-up in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan, illegally changes the demographic, cultural and physical character of these territories and consequently attempts to maintain the current status-quo.

Touching upon the people's diplomacy efforts carried out with EU’s support, Elmar Mammadyarov underscored the importance of fostering a dialogue between the Armenian and Azerbaijani communities of the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan.

Herbert Salber expressed his gratitude for detailed information and updated about the public projects aimed at contributing to the resolution of the conflict by EU’s support.

During the meeting, the sides exchanged their views on the other issues of mutual concern.