EU ready to help Yerevan and Baku restore negotiation process- Klaar

YEREVAN, Sept. 15. /ARKA/. Armenian Defense Minister Suren Papikyan received on Tuesday EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus and the Crisis in Georgia Toivo Klaar, the defense ministry's press service reported.

The meeting was also attended by the head of the EU Delegation to Armenia, Ambassador Andrea Wiktorin.

Papikyan presented the situation resulting from Azerbaijan's large-scale aggression against Armenia's sovereign territory on September 13.

The Minister was quoted as saying that the large-scale aggression is a pre-planned Azerbaijani provocation. In the context of resolving the situation, the defense minister stressed the need for targeted assessment of the aggression by the international community, including the EU.

Klaar presented the EU's position on the immediate cessation of hostilities, stressing the need to resolve all existing differences exclusively by diplomatic means.

He also reiterated the EU's commitment to facilitating the restoration of the negotiation process between the parties and reaching an agreement.

Around midnight on September 13, the armed forces of Azerbaijan launched a large-scale attack in the southern and southeastern directions of the Republic of Armenia, encroaching on the territorial integrity of Armenia. The aggression was carried out with the use of artillery, mortars and UAVs, including not only in the Armenia-Azerbaijan bordering area, but also in the areas of Sotk, Vardenis, Goris, Kapan, Artanish and Ishkhanasar settlements and their civilian infrastructure of Gegharkunik, Vayots Dzor and Syunik regions. As of today, the Armenian side has 105 victims.-0-