Armenia/Azerbaijan: Statement by the High Representative on behalf of the European Union on the initialling of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Peace Treaty

Today’s agreements between Armenia and Azerbaijan by Prime Minister Pashinyan and President Aliyev, in the presence of President Trump in the White House, mark a significant breakthrough to end decades of conflict. We strongly commend both sides and the US Administration for using the momentum and making progress possible. It will now be important to ensure the timely implementation of the agreed steps, notably the signing and ratification of the peace treaty.

Following the finalisation of bilateral Armenia-Azerbaijan negotiations on the text of the peace agreement last March, this represents an important and decisive next step towards full-fledged normalisation of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan, based on mutual recognition of each other’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and inviolability of borders in line with the 1991 Alma-Ata Declaration. Once implemented, the steps agreed today are expected to have a positive impact on the overall peaceful development of the region, and to help bring societies divided by legacies of conflict closer to sustainable peace and shared prosperity.

The EU fully supports the Armenia-Azerbaijan normalisation process and has been working for years with both parties and our international partners to create the conditions for lasting peace. We continue to stand ready to work with partners towards full-fledged normalisation, providing additional support and expertise, including for the practical implementation of next steps.