BAKU, Azerbaijan, Nov. 15
Trend:
On November 15, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Baramov took part in a meeting of the Foreign Ministers of the European Union's Eastern Partnership countries, Trend reports citing MFA press service.
Speaking at the meeting, the minister spoke about the new realities in the region after the conflict, including ensuring the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan and restoring the fundamental rights of more than a million Azerbaijanis. He noted that sustainable peace, development and progress form the basis of the vision of the future of Azerbaijan, and in this regard, it is important to fully implement the trilateral statements. It was emphasized that Azerbaijan expects mutual actions from Armenia in response to the steps taken in this direction.
It was noted that the opening of all communications in the region through the territories of Armenia and Azerbaijan will significantly affect the growth of trade and transport in the interests of both countries and all countries of the region, as well as partners, and the Zangezur corridor is an important initiative in this regard. As an important part of the East-West transport corridor, the Zangezur Corridor will contribute to the EU's efforts to ensure reliable and secure logistics corridors inside and outside the Eastern Partnership.
Speaking about the restoration and construction work carried out by Azerbaijan in the liberated territories, Jeyhun Bayramov said that as a result, internally displaced persons, whose rights have been violated for many years, will return safely and with dignity to their homes. The Minister also drew attention to the threat of mines in the liberated territories and stressed the need for Armenia to provide maps of minefields.
The Minister stressed the need to change the EU's approach to the South Caucasus within the framework of the Eastern Neighborhood Policy in accordance with the new situation in the region and with the needs and priorities of the post-conflict period.
Post-conflict political and financial support, including mine clearance, the opening of communications and confidence-building measures to build good neighborly relations between the two countries, are some of the areas where the EU can help. Initiatives put forward both in the Eastern Partnership and in the bilateral framework should be based on the principles of sovereignty, territorial integrity and inviolability of borders, as enshrined in the EU Global Strategy for Foreign and Security Policy.