Citing three unnamed “officials with knowledge of the preparations,” the Financial Times reported on Monday that the meeting will be hosted by Charles Michel, the head of the European Union’s top decision-making body. The report was not immediately confirmed or refuted by the EU, Armenia or Azerbaijan.
The London-based paper quoted one of the officials as describing the planned meeting as an “important sign of progress” made by Baku and Yerevan in recent talks facilitated by Western powers. The EU and U.S. peace efforts are “mutually reinforcing” and “complementary two-track processes,” added the official.
“Washington and Brussels are acting in tandem,” agreed Tigran Grigorian, an Armenian political analyst. “That is, we are witnessing teamwork here.”
Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan and his Azerbaijani counterpart Jeyhun Bayramov met outside Washington for four consecutive days last week. The U.S.-mediated talks focused on an Armenian-Azerbaijani peace treaty primarily sought by Baku.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Thursday that the two ministers made “very tangible progress” and that a “final agreement is within reach.”
“We’re determined to continue to help our friends achieve it,” Blinken said.
Pashinian told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service on Friday that the conflicting sides still disagree on some key terms of the peace accord.