Yerevan Agrees to Hold Initial Meeting Without Macron

A high-ranking official from the European Union (EU) informed ‘Azatutyun’ that the upcoming meeting between Prime Minister Pashinyan, President Aliyev, and European Council President Michel scheduled for this Sunday in Brussels could not have been organized without prior progress made in Washington.

According to the diplomat, the meeting on May 14 is the result of ongoing diplomatic efforts from the EU and successful negotiations held in the United States. 'If the Washington meeting had not been satisfactory, it would not have made sense to arrange another discussion afterward,' European sources say.

The Brussels-mediated meetings had been stalled for six months, the last taking place last October in Prague, where President Macron of France also joined the Pashinyan-Aliyev-Michel trio. Another quadrilateral meeting was planned for last December; however, Aliyev canceled citing Paris's anti-Azerbaijani stance, arguing that it cannot act as a neutral mediator. The Armenian side, in turn, expressed a desire to maintain Macron's participation.

To resolve the disagreement, Brussels has been in continuous communication with both sides over the past months, trying to find a mutually acceptable solution. According to diplomatic sources, a recent visit by the French Foreign Minister to the region was crucial but did not yield the desired outcome, revealing the necessity for both parties and Paris to find a compromise.

Consequently, Yerevan agreed to hold an initial meeting without the French President and will continue discussions in about two weeks with the participation of President Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. Azerbaijani sources claim this was a condition set by Baku to agree to Macron's mediation.

Both sides have also agreed to continue the trilateral meetings in Brussels as frequently as necessary, the European Union announced yesterday. Some information about the upcoming meeting has also been revealed by the U.S. publication Politico. 'We view this meeting as a resumption of the Brussels trilateral format and a continuation of the important and positive discussions that took place in Washington last week,' European diplomats stated.