Grigoryan and Klaar discuss EU monitoring mission and Armenian-Azerbaijani negotiation process

YEREVAN, October. 28. /ARKA/. Armenia's Security Council Secretary Armen Grigoryan received today EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus and the crisis in Georgia Toivo Klaar.

The press service of the Security Council said the two men discussed the steps taken by the EU's monitoring mission deployed along Armenia's border with Azerbaijan and also the Armenian-Azerbaijani normalization process.

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

In a statement adopted after October 6 meeting of Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, French President Emmanuel Macron and European Council President Charles Michel in Prague, Armenia and Azerbaijan confirmed their commitment to the UN Charter and the Alma-Ata Declaration of 1991, through which both sides recognize each other's territorial integrity and sovereignty.

They confirmed that this will serve as basis for the work of the commissions on delimitation and that the next meeting of these commissions will take place in Brussels by the end of October.

Armenia expressed its agreement to encourage the EU civilian mission along the border with Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan agreed to cooperate with the mentioned mission to the extent it will be concerned.

The EU's civilian monitors began patrolling Armenia’s border with Azerbaijan on Thursday, the EU’s European External Action Service (EEAS) announced on Twitter.

“For the next two months, the EU Monitoring Capacity will monitor the situation on the Armenian side of the Armenia-Azerbaijan border to build confidence and to contribute to the [Armenian-Azerbaijani] border commissions,” it said.

The EU Monitoring Capacity in Armenia is to report on military posture and ceasefire related developments in the border regions between Armenia and Azerbaijan and also provide observations of events taking place along the bilateral border, including human rights related developments.

On September 13-14, Azerbaijani forces attacked and seized some of the Armenian army positions at various sections of the border. In the fighting more than 200 Armenian soldiers were killed, dozens were wounded. Azerbaijani troops targeted civilian infrastructure, damaging about 200 private homes, hospitals, schools and other civilian facilities.

The hostilities were brought to a halt on September 14 due to the international mediation. -0-