"The presence of three ministers together with the Special Representative here and other colleagues from the external services is the result of debate we had the informal meeting of foreign ministers in May in Lisbon. It was a meeting that Romania has initiated including the debate on the conflicts in the region on the agenda of the European Union. At the end of that meeting we concluded that the European Union is willing to do more and to be more involved in the region on one hand, in the process of settlement of this conflict in the case of Nagorno-Karabakh in the post-conflict resolutions," said Foreign Minister of Romania Bogdan Aurescu, while President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev received him and Foreign Minister of Austria Alexander Schallenberg, Foreign Minister of Lithuania Gabrielius Landsbergis and a delegation of the European Union who are on a visit to Azerbaijan mandated by High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Vice-President of the European Commission Josep Borrell, APA reports.
"Of course, if the parties agree on that, and our presence here is meant to convey strong message of support from the part of the European Union for the stability and security of the region to see what we can do in terms of post-conflict support in order for reaching as you mentioned, a comprehensive settlement of all pending issues.
At the same time, it is a visit which is also connected to the preparation of the Eastern Partnership Summit at the end of this year. For the European Union, Azerbaijan has a very important role as a strategic partner in the energy field, the largest trade partner for the European Union. At the same time, it is the largest recipient of EU investments in the region. So, for us Azerbaijan is essential for the stability and prosperity of the all South Caucasus. We appreciate Azerbaijan as an example of tolerance, multiculturalism and interfaith dialogue. I know that you have done a lot during your mandate to achieve that. It is also important for connectivity and again here with a lot of space for discussion in the future cooperation. In terms of post-conflict developments, we are willing to learn from you. We will visit Armenia and then we will go to Tbilisi as well, to learn from you what can we do in terms of, for instance, confidence-building in terms of post-conflict rehabilitation, in terms of helping destabilization process. We have witnessed certain steps recently, the release of detainees at the same time, the presentation of maps of minefields. We are just supporting further such processes which are important for the confidence-building," said Bogdan Aurescu:.
Foreign Minister of Austria Alexander Schallenberg emphasized that the region is experiencing a post-conflict period, and noted the importance of transition to a period of peace and a sustainable peaceful settlement. He expressed the European Union’s great interest in the region, including in the economic area of the region. Alexander Schallenberg said that the European Union works in coordination with the OSCE on a number of issues in the region.
Foreign Minister of Lithuania Gabrielius Landsbergis recalled with pleasure his visit to Azerbaijan a few months ago. He noted that a number of issues were discussed during that visit, adding that the current visit provided an opportunity to continue discussions.
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