EU Seeks Ways to Avoid New Escalation of Tensions, Kommersant Reports on Charles Michel's Visits

The Russian publication "Kommersant" has reported on the visit of Charles Michel, President of the European Council, to the South Caucasus countries, specifically his trips to Yerevan and Baku. According to Tert.am, “The journey of the President of the European Council takes place against the backdrop of renewed clashes on the Armenia-Azerbaijan border and a resurgence of hard rhetoric from both sides, which has led to the most serious tensions in the conflict zone since the signing of the trilateral agreement in November. The threat of a resumption of hostilities is becoming increasingly real due to the fundamental disagreements between the parties regarding key issues concerning the status of Nagorno-Karabakh.”

As the source notes, “Charles Michel’s trip, which began last Friday, has gained special significance in the context of the resumption of gunfire on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, which has not occurred on such a scale since last November.” The publication recalls that armed clashes continued even after Michel’s arrival in Yerevan; while he was holding talks with Armenia’s acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, the Armenian Ministry of Defense reported that as of 13:30 on July 17, Azerbaijan had opened fire on Armenian positions in the Yeraskh area.