European Council President Charles Michel is renewing efforts to bring a lasting peace to the South Caucasus, as tensions rise in the war-torn region.
Speaking to POLITICO, two senior diplomats confirmed that the former Belgian PM had held bilateral meetings with the leaders of both Armenia and Azerbaijan on the sidelines of the European Political Community summit in the UK inJuly.
Michel has also written to the two sides, calling on them to return to the table and "finalize the peace agreement" by making progress on outstanding issues like border delimitation.
However, frustration has been growing in Brussels after months of delays and diplomatic deadlock that has seen a long-awaited truce fail to materialize.
“Ultimately, it’s up to both sides to stop playing games and seal the deal as President Michel has done everything in the EU’s power to reach a peace agreement,” a senior EU diplomat close to Michel said.
Now, tensions are once again rising and Azerbaijan's Ministry of Defense last week accused Armenia of committing provocations along the two countries' shared border and threatened to take necessary response measures using all means at their disposal for the purposes of self-defense. Azerbaijan also criticized military support provided by EU countries like France to Yerevan in an effort to create a balance of power between the two historic rivals, Politico writes.
