Baerbock in Baku: Crisis mission in the Caucasus
Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock is counting on a rapid continuation of the peace talks between Azerbaijan and Armenia under the mediation of EU Council President Charles Michel.
"People throughout the region are hoping for peace. This requires a willingness for the benefit of all Azerbaijanis and Armenians to find a new way of living together," said the Green politician after talks with her Azerbaijani colleague Jeyhun Bayramov in the capital Baku. This was the only way to achieve lasting peace. This would also be in Azerbaijan's interests.
Baerbock offered Azerbaijan German support in clearing mines. "Three decades of conflict have literally turned Karabakh and the surrounding provinces into a dangerous minefield."
Bayramov was open to continuing the peace talks with Armenia, but accused Yerevan of unlawful territorial claims. He said that they were ready to continue the dialog, according to an official translation. The format and location of the negotiations were of secondary importance. In addition to negotiations mediated by the EU, Iran and Turkey are also potential mediators.
However, Baerbock - without naming Iran - expressed her concern as to whether "some actors would act as honest brokers in the interests of both countries". Against the backdrop of talks on the return of the more than 100,000 people who had fled Nagorno-Karabakh, the Federal Foreign Minister said: "Trust and confidence are of course crucial for this." We have to be realistic here. "It will take time to rebuild precisely this trust."
Nagorno-Karabakh is located on Azerbaijani territory, but was mainly inhabited by Armenians. The region broke away from Baku in the 1990s in a bloody civil war with the help of Yerevan. The Azerbaijani army forced the surrender of the local army in Nagorno-Karabakh on September 19. More than 100,000 ethnic Armenians have fled the region.
Baerbock in the Armenia-Azerbaijan-Iran-Turkey quadrangle
Baerbock had already visited Armenia before Baku on Friday. On Saturday morning, she visited Armenia's border with the autonomous Azerbaijani exclave of Nakhichevan to find out about the tense situation during a patrol by the civilian EU mission EUMA. Baerbock was standing in the middle of the quadrangle between Armenia, Azerbaijan, Iran and Turkey. Ararat, Turkey's highest mountain, is very close, covered in snow, an almost idyllic scene. But things are boiling in the region. Tehran and Ankara are trying to strengthen their influence on the ex-Soviet republics.
A good 70 kilometers from the Armenian capital of Yerevan, an employee of the Foreign Minister's mission described how two workers in a steelworks were injured by Azerbaijani snipers as recently as mid-June.
Azerbaijan exclave Nakhichevan
Nakhichevan has around 400,000 inhabitants and borders Armenia, Iran and Turkey. Azerbaijan has long been campaigning for a road and rail link to its enclave. At the beginning of October, the authoritarian country concluded an agreement with Iran on a transport link across Iranian territory.
Baerbock offers more commitment to EU mission EUMA
EUMA monitors the security situation along the Armenian side of the border. The mission began its work at the end of February, and by mid-September a good 85 employees from 22 EU states were on duty. Germany currently has the largest contingent with 16 members and a federal police officer as head of mission.
At the refugee center for people from Nagorno-Karabakh
Later, Baerbock spoke to refugees from the crisis region of Nagorno-Karabakh in a reception center. Anjelika Stepanjan, 31, fled from Nagorno-Karabakh. She shares a sparse room with two other adults and three children. Journalists ask her what she expects from a peace process between Yerevan and Baku. She does not want to mention the word Azerbaijan, the woman replies bitterly. She fled out of fear of the Azerbaijanis and had to leave almost everything behind - but now she feels safe.
Deep rifts between Yerevan and Baku
The depth of the rifts between Armenia and Azerbaijan is also evident when Baerbock flies from Yerevan to Baku. Instead of taking the direct route to the city of 2.2 million inhabitants on the Caspian Sea, her government Airbus has to make a loop over Georgia. A direct flight over the border is taboo.
Source: www.dpa.com
