OXFORDSHIRE

Efforts to facilitate dialogue between Armenia and Azerbaijan at the European Political Community (EPC) summit in the UK on Thursday failed to materialize, as a bilateral meeting between leaders of the two neighboring countries could not be held.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan were both present at the EPC summit in Oxfordshire.

The gathering aimed to provide an informal environment conducive to interaction between the two leaders, with hopes of advancing the peace agenda.

Despite efforts by the UK to mediate and create an informal setting for dialogue, the anticipated meeting between Aliyev and Pashinyan did not take place.

A senior British government official told Anadolu that the UK is not attempting to mediate the ongoing dispute between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Instead, the official added, the focus has been on facilitating an environment conducive to dialogue, consistent with the approach taken in previous EPC meetings.

As Anadolu understands, the aim was to provide an informal setting where leaders could interact not only with each other, but also with other international figures.

The official suggested that the UK, as the host, had taken its responsibilities seriously, striving to bring the conflicting parties closer together.

Over time, there was progress and in the lead-up to this summit there were positive signs suggesting the possibility of a meeting, but to no avail, according to the official.

Relations between Baku and Yerevan have been tense since 1991, when the Armenian military occupied Karabakh, a territory internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, and seven adjacent regions.

Most of the territory was liberated by Azerbaijan during a 44-day war in the fall of 2020, which ended after a Russian-brokered peace agreement that opened the door to normalization and the demarcation of their border.

Last September, Azerbaijan established full sovereignty in Karabakh when separatist forces in the region surrendered.

Blame game

Ictimai Television, a public television channel in Azerbaijan, reported that according to Hikmat Hajiyev, adviser to the Azerbaijani president, Armenia refused to attend the proposed meeting.

"Armenia's refusal to attend the meeting reflects its intention to withdraw from dialogue and advance the peace agenda," he was quoted as saying.

Hajiyev recalled the format of the previous meeting between the two leaders at the Munich Security Conference, which began with the presence of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and continued bilaterally.

Contradicting the claims, Armenian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Ani Badalyan said it was the Azerbaijani side that rejected the proposal.

"The Armenian side also reiterates its proposal to intensify the negotiations on the highest levels & to reach the signing of the peace treaty within one month," the spokesperson added.