EU pushing for final Armenia-Azerbaijan peace deal after talks stall – POLITICO

European Council President Charles Michel is renewing efforts to bring a lasting peace to the South Caucasus, POLITICO reports.

Speaking to POLITICO, two senior diplomats confirmed that Michel had held bilateral meetings with the leaders of both Armenia and Azerbaijan on the sidelines of the European Political Community summit in the United Kingdom earlier this month.

Michel has also written to the two sides, calling on them to return to the table and "finalize the peace agreement" by making progress on outstanding issues like border delimitation.

However, frustration has been growing in Brussels after months of delays and diplomatic deadlock that has seen a long-awaited truce fail to materialize, according to POLITICO.

Despite the meetings with Michel, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev failed to find an opportunity to sit down together — with both sides pointing the finger at the other for the standoff, POLITICO wrote.

“Ultimately, it’s up to both sides to stop playing games and seal the deal as President Michel has done everything in the EU’s power to reach a peace agreement,” a senior EU diplomat close to Michel told POLITICO.