‘Political will needed to reach finish line’: Klaar on Armenia-Azerbaijan peace deal

It is my hope that with political will and continued effort by Armenia and Azerbaijan, the page of enmity and violence can now finally be turned once and for all, for the benefit of all the peoples of the region, Toivo Klaar, the EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus and the crisis in Georgia, said in an interview with JAMnews.

“As far as I know, most of the draft peace treaty has already been agreed upon. It seems to me that the only thing missing is the political will needed to reach the finish line. We firmly believe that achieving a final agreement on the remaining issues and wording is within reach. A peace treaty and its subsequent implementation would fundamentally change the situation in the region. I believe the leaders also share this view and will undertake all the efforts needed to reach a final agreement on the matter,” Klaar said.

He added that the fact that Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev did not meet during the recent European Political Community summit in the UK is also a reminder of how fragile the process still is.