Azerbaijan, Baku, May 23 / Trend , J.Babayeva /
The EU Special Representative for South Caucasus Peter Semneby shares the hope of the mediators that the forthcoming Saint Petersburg meeting between the Presidents of Azerbaijan and Armenia will be a new opportunity for the sides to bring their positions closer, said the report on Semneby's visit to Azerbaijan on May 19-20, which was provided by Office of the EU Special Representative in Azerbaijan.
"The European Union supports the work now being conducted by the three co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk group," the report says.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan since 1992, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and 7 surrounding districts. Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group - Russia, France, and the U.S. - are currently holding the peace negotiations.
The Presidents of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev and Armenia, Serj Sarkisian plan to meet in June in St. Petersburg within the participation in the economic forum.
The EU Special Representative also discussed the Turkish-Armenian normalization process and its implications for Azerbaijan. "He outlined the EU's vision of the South Caucasus, where the opening of all borders would enhance regional security and permit the region to develop its full economic potential," the report says.
Armenian-Turkish ties have been severed since 1993 due to Armenia's claims of an alleged genocide, and the country's occupation of 20 percent of Azerbaijani lands.
However, during his visit to Baku on 12-13 May, Turkish Prime Minister Rejep Tayyip Erdogan excluded the possibility of cooperation with Armenia unless the occupied territories of Azerbaijan are released.
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