Menu
Latest
Menu
Latest
Commentary

ASHTON AND ALIEV DISCUSS KARABAKH AND BILATERAL RELATIONS

16 November 2011

The peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict was one of the issues discussed yesterday in a meeting between the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliev and the European Union Foreign and Security Policy High Representative, Catherine Ashton. Ashton is currently on a visit to the region. The two sides also discussed issues related to bilateral co-operation, including energy.

Earlier Catherine Ashton referred to the Karabaklh conflict in an interview with APA News Agency. The EU Foreign Policy chief said that the EU was "very concerned about the lack of progress in resolving the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, and would like to see how we could play a more active and helpful role, in full support of the OSCE Minsk Group. I have appointed a new EU Special Representative, Philippe Lefort, to take this work forward. A solution to the conflict would unlock huge potential for the entire region and would in particular boost regional co-operation. Conflict resolution and reconciliation are key values on which the EU itself is based, and which we believe can inspire a renewed effort in the South Caucasus region as well. We will of course discuss the further development of our bilateral and multilateral cooperation in the context of the Eastern Partnership".

Ashton added that "the Minsk Group has the mandate to mediate between the parties to the conflict. Our intention is to see whether we could do more to support its work, and to help build confidence between the two sides, and more generally act in support of the Minsk Group’s work. There is much at stake in this conflict, and much to be gained if it was resolved, for the people of the region, and also for the EU. We are very worried therefore about the rise in tensions and the increase in incidents, and would like to see how we could help reverse the trend".

Ashton will today visit Georgia and later Armenia, before proceeding to Moscow to attend a meeting of the EU-Russia Council .

source: commonspace.eu (with agencies)

photo: Baroness Ashton and her delegation with Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliev in Baku on 15 November 2011. (Picture courtesy of the Press Service of the President of Azerbaijan)

Related articles

Editor's choice
News
UAE says it will withdraw from Yemen, but division emerges in Yemeni presidential council
Trending

UAE says it will withdraw from Yemen, but division emerges in Yemeni presidential council

31 December 2025
In a move seen as an attempt to de-escalate a crises with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, on Tuesday (30th December) announced that it was heeding a call to withdraw its troops from Southern Yemen. UAE says that its presence included counter-terrorism teams that were crucial in fighting against Islamist groups. UAE sources said that parts of Yemen not controlled by the Houthis have had Al Qaeda in the Arab Peninsula (AQAP) operatives using the territory to launch attacks on Europe, the US and Middle East. UAE teams have co-ordinated with American and British special forces and intelligence. The sources added that Emirati forces and their Yemeni allies also helped reverse Houthi gains in the south. including the liberation of Aden port. The small UAE contingent has remained in place since the UAE withdrew most of its military personnel in 2019. The leading English-language newspaper in Abu Dhabi, The National, said that the main UAE force was based at Riyan Mukalla International Airport, with access to fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters, but also operated smaller contingents in the port town Balhaf and Shabwa. "It is understood it also flew a number of drones from the airbase that were able to track terrorist movements, pass information back to its allies and assisted special forces' missions." Meanwhile a division has emerged in Yemen's presidential council after four members denounced what they called the 'unilateral decisions' by the chairman. Four of Yemen’s eight Presidential Leadership Council members on Tuesday denounced an announcement by the council’s chairman accusing him of breaching the governing agreement. Tension between Yemeni leaders has been rising for weeks, underscoring the fragility of the country's already fractured political landscape and further complicating efforts to confront the Iran-backed Houthi rebels. The latest rift took an unprecedented turn on Tuesday morning, marked by a Saudi-led coalition “limited operation” striking combat vehicles Riyadh linked to the Southern Transitional Council, which has three members in the PLC. The PLC Chairman, Rashad al Alimi, on Tuesday said that he was seeking to cancel the joint defence agreement with the UAE. “What has been issued … constitutes a clear violation of the Declaration of the Transfer of Power [agreement], which explicitly stipulates that the Presidential Leadership Council is a collective body whose decisions are taken by consensus, or by majority when consensus is not possible,” the statement by the four members said. “It does not, under any circumstances, allow for unilateral decision-making on sovereign, military, or major political matters." The statement was signed by STC chief Aidarous Al Zubaidi, Faraj Al Bahsani, Tariq Saleh and Abu Zaraa al Muharrami. (click the picture to read the full article).

Popular

Editor's choice
News
UAE says it will withdraw from Yemen, but division emerges in Yemeni presidential council
Trending

UAE says it will withdraw from Yemen, but division emerges in Yemeni presidential council

31 December 2025
In a move seen as an attempt to de-escalate a crises with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, on Tuesday (30th December) announced that it was heeding a call to withdraw its troops from Southern Yemen. UAE says that its presence included counter-terrorism teams that were crucial in fighting against Islamist groups. UAE sources said that parts of Yemen not controlled by the Houthis have had Al Qaeda in the Arab Peninsula (AQAP) operatives using the territory to launch attacks on Europe, the US and Middle East. UAE teams have co-ordinated with American and British special forces and intelligence. The sources added that Emirati forces and their Yemeni allies also helped reverse Houthi gains in the south. including the liberation of Aden port. The small UAE contingent has remained in place since the UAE withdrew most of its military personnel in 2019. The leading English-language newspaper in Abu Dhabi, The National, said that the main UAE force was based at Riyan Mukalla International Airport, with access to fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters, but also operated smaller contingents in the port town Balhaf and Shabwa. "It is understood it also flew a number of drones from the airbase that were able to track terrorist movements, pass information back to its allies and assisted special forces' missions." Meanwhile a division has emerged in Yemen's presidential council after four members denounced what they called the 'unilateral decisions' by the chairman. Four of Yemen’s eight Presidential Leadership Council members on Tuesday denounced an announcement by the council’s chairman accusing him of breaching the governing agreement. Tension between Yemeni leaders has been rising for weeks, underscoring the fragility of the country's already fractured political landscape and further complicating efforts to confront the Iran-backed Houthi rebels. The latest rift took an unprecedented turn on Tuesday morning, marked by a Saudi-led coalition “limited operation” striking combat vehicles Riyadh linked to the Southern Transitional Council, which has three members in the PLC. The PLC Chairman, Rashad al Alimi, on Tuesday said that he was seeking to cancel the joint defence agreement with the UAE. “What has been issued … constitutes a clear violation of the Declaration of the Transfer of Power [agreement], which explicitly stipulates that the Presidential Leadership Council is a collective body whose decisions are taken by consensus, or by majority when consensus is not possible,” the statement by the four members said. “It does not, under any circumstances, allow for unilateral decision-making on sovereign, military, or major political matters." The statement was signed by STC chief Aidarous Al Zubaidi, Faraj Al Bahsani, Tariq Saleh and Abu Zaraa al Muharrami. (click the picture to read the full article).