What I heard during my meetings in Baku was very different from what we sometimes hear in the public space – Magdalena Grono

For the EU, it’s very important that the normalisation process between Armenia and Azerbaijan continues in a calm and positive environment, building on past achievements and successes reached in various formats, European Union Special Representative for the South Caucasus and the crisis in Georgia Magdalena Grono has said.

Grono told Armenpress in an interview that during her Baku visit she heard encouraging statements regarding peace and stability in the region that were often different from what is said in the public space.

Armenpress: Mrs. Grono, on January 8, during your visit to Baku, the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, once again made threats against Armenia, essentially casting doubt on the possibility of establishing peace in the South Caucasus. During your meeting with Aliyev in Baku, did you address these threats, and what do you think—can peace in the South Caucasus be achieved under conditions where the leadership of Azerbaijan regularly threatens Armenia and makes unfounded territorial claims?

EUSR Magdalena Grono: You are indeed referring to an element of the context in which my visit to Azerbaijan took place. Issues relating to public rhetoric, the need to prepare populations for a peaceful future, to address and lower threat perceptions, including through public reconciliation efforts and positive rhetoric that commits to peace, were among the points raised in my meetings in Azerbaijan. For the EU, it’s very important that the normalisation process between Armenia and Azerbaijan continues in a calm and positive environment, building on past achievements and successes reached in various formats, most recently on their bilateral track. In our exchanges in Baku, I heard encouraging statements regarding peace and stability in the region; these were often different from what we have heard in the public space, in particular on the continuation of the normalization process between the two countries. I believe an important first stage of normalization is already seeing results: Azerbaijan and Armenia have a structured and well-organised framework for their discussions, with a clear commonly agreed basis and scope. Now is the time to display the political will that is needed to turn the page of conflict once and for all, to agree on mutually acceptable solutions for all outstanding issues, and to ensure a peaceful and more prosperous life for all populations in the region. 

Armenpress: The President of Azerbaijan is demanding that Armenia stop acquiring weapons, while at the same time, he is rapidly building up his country’s arsenal. Parallel to this, Azerbaijan’s leadership continues to spread false claims that Armenia’s Constitution contains territorial demands against Azerbaijan, and there is ongoing rhetoric about the so-called "Zangezur Corridor." Do you have the impression that Baku is preparing for a new attack on Armenia, and how credible do you find Azerbaijan's statements that it is pursuing peace?

EUSR Magdalena Grono: All my interlocutors in Baku expressed the view that “the conflict has been settled”, that “the situation has been stabilised”, that there is “no intention to use force” and that the normalisation process should continue in all its dimensions. Again, what I heard during my meetings was very different from what we sometimes hear in the public space. The 11th meeting of Armenia’s and Azerbaijan’s border commissions took place on 16 January, as planned. I would like to welcome and commend the parties’ continued exchanges of views on future delimitation works and agreement reached on proceeding further with concrete delimitation works from the North to the South. This sends a very positive signal and I very much hope that similar progress will be ensured on other tracks, be it regarding the draft peace treaty, connectivity and resumption of communication links, or humanitarian issues. We are certainly strongly encouraging both sides to make a commitment to progress and warned about the negative impact of certain tendencies to the contrary.

Armenpress: Azerbaijan has repeatedly issued threats against the EU monitoring mission in Armenia, also falsely alleging that the EU mission is engaged in espionage against Azerbaijan. How do you respond to these accusations, and did you raise this topic during your meetings with Azerbaijani officials?

EUSR Magdalena Grono: Azerbaijan’s views on the EU Mission in Armenia were also raised by my interlocutors in Baku. We always carefully listen to any criticism or divergent views - and try to understand what grievances there may be, and what may lie behind them. We seek to clarify potential misperceptions – but we are equally committed to dispelling any possible disinformation. This is also relevant for the criticisms we hear about EUMA activities. As far as perceptions are concerned, I made it clear during my meetings that, the EU does not intend to create new dividing lines, engage in “zero-sum games” or promote a “hidden agenda” in the region. The EU Mission in Armenia has been deployed on the basis of a sovereign request from the Armenian authorities. At all stages – before, during and after its deployment – the EU kept the Azerbaijani authorities informed. Given sensitivities associated with third-party presence on the ground and the long history of conflict, I assured all interlocutors that we take our role with a high degree of responsibility. We can therefore reiterate that all allegations regarding “spying activities” or “destabilization objectives” are disinformation and do not correspond to neither the mandate and goals set for the Mission, nor its operations. The EU Mission in Armenia is and will remain an exclusively civilian, unarmed mission. 

Armenpress: As part of your regional visit, you also travelled to Armenia, where you met with several high-ranking officials. How do you assess the results of your visit? What is your impression of the steps the Armenian government is taking toward achieving peace in the South Caucasus?

EUSR Magdalena Grono: Yes, following my meetings in Baku, I was also received at the highest level in Yerevan, in particular by Prime Minister Pashinyan and a number of key government interlocutors. As in Azerbaijan, I also met with civil society representatives. These visits were very intense and rich, and to a certain degree also encouraging. In Yerevan, I voiced strong support for ongoing reforms, but also for the courageous steps taken in the framework of the normalisation process with Azerbaijan. Despite the ups and downs of the process, the Armenian leadership has been engaging with a forward-looking approach, with a clear willingness to turn the page of enmity and establish a stable and peaceful environment. Critics would say that much more could have been done, and we would certainly like to see more progress soon. At the same time, if we look at the pace of work, the structured framework of negotiations and the overall dynamics in the bilateral interaction, I would say that these were completely unthinkable some years ago.

Armenpress: What practical steps is the European Union prepared to take to achieve peace in the South Caucasus, given Azerbaijan’s actions to artificially prolong the process and its threats against Armenia?

EUSR Magdalena Grono: The EU has been heavily involved over the past few years in the Armenia-Azerbaijan normalisation process, primarily through Brussels leaders level meetings convened at the time by the previous President of the European Council, Charles Michel. In addition to other international efforts, this platform had given Armenia’s and Azerbaijan’s leaders the space needed to move forward through a structured agenda. Since thelandmark joint Azerbaijan-Armenia statement of 7 December 2023, as a result of which the sides agreed on the organization of COP29 and a mutual release of prisoners, Armenia and Azerbaijan indicated that they would continue their discussions for the implementation of more confidence building measures and called on the international community to support their efforts. This is precisely the context in which my recent visits to Azerbaijan and Armenia took place. Together with Baku and Yerevan, we explored how the EU could be most helpful in supporting Azerbaijan-Armenia normalization and broader regional cooperation. At this stage, we have identified several areas, again with the understanding that the EU stands ready to also do more. In Baku and Yerevan, we agreed that the EU would continue its support to ongoing Azerbaijan-Armenia bilateral talks, would focus on concrete aspects of connectivity and humanitarian issues, especially regarding demining and addressing the issue of missing persons, and would also promote regional cooperation initiatives.

Armenpress: In the context of unblocking regional communications, Armenia has proposed the "Crossroads of Peace" project. Are you familiar with this project, and what is your position on it?

EUSR Magdalena Grono: I’m of course familiar with the “Crossroads of Peace” project put forward by Armenia since 2023. Its overall scope and basic principles, I believe, are not really contested by anyone. But the details and practicalities are something that still needs to be fully agreed by the sides. It is indeed a useful and interesting framework, also from the point of view of showing concretely how a future South Caucasus at peace could look like. As a first step, I very much hope that Armenia and Azerbaijan would be able to agree on modalities for cargo transit between the Western regions of Azerbaijan and Nakhchivan in the near future and open up also communications that link up Armenia to the broader region. In addition to the exchanges I had in the region, the statements made in Yerevan and in Baku on the matter following the meeting of the leaders in Kazan on 24 October 2024 give me reason to believe that an agreement is attainable – and we remain ready to support parties to reach it.