Bryza: Recognition of Azerbaijan's territorial integrity by Armenia - enourmous step forward in pursuit of peace treaty

Mutual recognition by Azerbaijan and Armenia of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of each other marks an enormous step forward in pursuit of a peace treaty that lays the foundation for stable peace in the region, Matthew Bryza, Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council, International Expert and Former US Ambassador to Azerbaijan, told Report.

He was commenting on the statement adopted by the results of the meeting of President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev with President of European Council Charles Michel, President of France Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan in Prague.

The issue of Karabakh's legal status was the most difficult and most fundamental component of the dispute between Azerbaijan and Armenia, Bryza said.

"And for some time, President Aliyev has demanded that Prime Minister Pashinyan recognize Azerbaijan's territorial integrity, which, to my mind, means to recognize that Karabakh is of a sovereign Azerbaijani territory. But Pashinyan has faced enormous opposition from the previous regime and other nationalist Armenians, especially Diaspora communities in the US and France," he said.

According to Bryza, an important component is that the EU is taking part in adopting this statement, as it may promote the process of demarcation of the Azerbaijani-Armenian border.

"It's time for the EU to step in," the expert believes.