"EU supports substantive talks on Karabakh conflict"

The European Union (EU) does not recognize the so-called "presidential elections" and "inauguration ceremony" in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan, EU Ambassador to Georgia Carl Hartzell said in a letter.

The ambassador submitted the letter in response to a statement of the Integration Center of Georgian Azerbaijanis protesting against the illegal "presidential elections" in Nagorno-Karabakh and the "oath-taking ceremony" organized in occupied Shusha, Report's local bureau says.

The ambassador noted that these events cannot affect the determination of Nagorno-Karabakh's future status and undermine the outcome of the ongoing negotiation process. "The European Union strongly supports the efforts of the OSCE Minsk Group and the co-chairs towards substantive negotiations to achieve lasting peace. The EU stands ready to support further the efforts for finding the soonest peaceful settlement of the conflict," Hartzell stressed.