BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 1. President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev held a meeting with President of the European Council Charles Michel and Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan on August 31, Trend reports.
Director of Pakistan's Institute of Peace and Diplomatic Studies, political analyst Muhammad Asif Noor, commenting on the event, said that the president of Azerbaijan and the prime minister of Armenia met under the auspices of the European Council for the fourth time to continue dialogue.
"This meeting is good for regional peace and security. The EU considers it essential the two countries should continue to engage in the process of dialogue, and the more they do, the more there will be a chance for establishing peace in the region," Noor noted.
He pointed out that during the meeting there were discussed issues of signing the peace treaty [between Azerbaijan and Armenia], as well as the activities of the commission for the border delimitation which was established in May this year.
These are essential steps toward long-term peace-building, which is more important than ever in the context of the current global instability, the analyst said.
Noor added that another critical issue discussed was humanitarian aspect related to the missing persons and the process of de-mining the liberated territories of Azerbaijan.
According to him, based on the strategic location of the region, especially in creating trade and economic linkages across Asia and Europe, peace amongst countries is very important; however, this depends on many factors.
"The matter related to the inter-regional trade or options to consider building cooperation in this area depends on how the Armenian side responds," concluded the analyst.
Chief Executive Officer of the Caspian Policy Center Efgan Nifti said that it’s encouraging to see Azerbaijan president and Armenian prime minister continue talks with mediation of Charles Michel.
According to Nifti, everyone understands that achievement of peace after decades long conflict is not an easy process but potential agreement between Azerbaijan and Armenia will produce practical benefits for both countries and the region.
Achieving lasting peace between Azerbaijan and Armenia is key to development of prosperity and security in the South Caucasus, he noted.
The CEO further said that another important expectation is the unblocking of regional transport communications as the region is becoming increasingly vital for trade and transit via the Middle Corridor.
"The US is also strongly supportive of the continued efforts of EU leadership to bring Azerbaijan and Armenia around the negotiating table. It would be understandable that not all issues are solved in one meeting, but key is to making steady progress towards reaching durable peace between two nations," Nifti said.