Peaceful settlement of Karabakh conflict has no alternative: EU official

PanARMENIAN.Net - The peaceful settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict has no alternative, EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus and the crisis in Georgia Herbert Salber said at a meeting with Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian on Wednesday, July 6.

Discussing the issue in Yerevan, Salber reiterated the EU's support to the OSCE Minsk Group efforts.

Also, the parties discussed the meetings of Armenian and Azerbaijani Presidents in Vienna and Saint Petersburg, as well as the steps aimed at the implementation of agreements reached at the summits.

Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan and Azeri leader Ilham Aliyev met on June 20 in Saint Petersburg to address the conflict, with Russian President Vladimir Putin mediating the talks. The Armenian and Azerbaijani presidents confirmed their commitment to the implementation of agreements reached at a Vienna-hosted meeting on May 16. To that end, they have agreed to increase the number of international observers in the Nagorno Karabakh conflict zone. Also, they expressed satisfaction that the ceasefire was now holding.

Prior to that, a meeting between both leaders was organized on May 16 in Vienna, with top diplomats from the MG co-chairing countries hosting the summit.

Nalbandian, in turn, stressed the importance of adhering to the agreements for reaching a lasting peace in the region.