Baku Says Toivo Klaar’s “Biased” Statements are Unacceptable
Azerbaijan must ensure the return of Karabakh Armenians to their homes, Toivo Klaar, the European Union’s special envoy of the Caucasus, said in an interview published on Monday.
Klaar, who has served in this capacity for 10 years, will end his tenure in September, a result of the outcome of the European Parliament elections in June that saw a political shift in the makeup of the body.
Klaar’s comments angered Azerbaijan, with official Baku accusing him and the EU of making “one-sided” statements.
“The EU has been very clear on the matter – and it is also my expectation – that the Karabakh Armenians will be part of the normalization process and that there will be direct talks between Baku and them about their safe and dignified return to their home region,” Klaar said in an interview with the JAM News.
“Azerbaijan does have an obligation in this regard, which – as it seems to me – it does not deny,” Klaar added.
He also touched on the issue of prisoners of war and other detainees.
According to Yerevan, the government has returned almost all those captured during the 2020 War and others that were detained throughout the years. There are dozens of Armenians, including the former leaders of Artsakh, who are currently being detained by Azerbaijan.
“To me the entire normalization process is about people and therefore about humanitarian affairs. However, if you mean the specific question of prisoners and missing persons, then these are of course key elements as well,” Klaar said.
“I am deeply convinced that the release of all prisoners, good and effective cooperation from all sides on the fate of missing persons as well as on de-mining efforts are decisive elements for lasting peace and for definitely turning the page of enmity and violence,” he added.
The deputy spokesperson for Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry, Vasif Aliyev, said Klaar’s statements about the Karabakh Armenians right to return is unacceptable, the Trend news agency reported.
According to the Azerbaijani official, it is Armenia’s obligation to create appropriate conditions for the safe and dignified return of Azerbaijanis expelled from Armenia to their native lands, and the international community must demand the fulfillment of this obligation.
“Ambassador-appointee Toivo Klaar is well aware that despite repeated appeals by the Azerbaijani side for the Armenian residents to stay in their homes and to return, Armenians have no intention to return to the sovereign territories of Azerbaijan. In this regard, the Azerbaijani side respects the intention of returning to Azerbaijan only of those persons of Armenian origin who respect the territorial integrity and sovereignty of our country,” said Baku’s spokesperson, referring to Klaar’s next assignment as EU ambassador to Uzbekistan.
“On the eve of leaving the office, an EU official’s such biased statements beyond its authority, first and foremost, are another blow to the reputation of the institution he represents,” the deputy spokesperson added,” the Azerbaijani spokesperson charged.
In the JAM News interview, Klaar also said that Yerevan and Baku must show political will in order to finalize a peace agreement.
“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,” Klaar said.
“We have been encouraged by the latest intensive exchanges of drafts and the recent trilateral meeting of the Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan with U.S. Secretary of State Blinken in Washington DC on 10 July 2024. 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.
“However, the fact that they did not meet during the recent European Political Community summit in the UK it is also a reminder how fragile the process still is. It does not show lack of commitment by either side, but illustrates well the sensitivities associated not only with the substance, but also with the process of the normalization deliberations,” the EU Special Representative added, echoing the sentiments of President of the European Council Charles Michel and other top EU diplomats.
“The international community will need to remain engaged both politically and financially, also after the signature of a peace agreement. But the onus, as now, will remain on the leaderships in Yerevan and Baku to not stop half way, but to continue all the way towards a full normalization of relations, not only between governments, but also between peoples,” Klaar added.
