Ilham Aliyev received a delegation led by the European Union Special Representative for the South Caucasus

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has received a delegation led by European Union Special Representative for the South Caucasus Herbert Salber.

Herbert Salber said his visit to Azerbaijan would create a good opportunity for discussing the issues related to the current state of relations between the EU and the country, as well as the conflict in the region.

The head of state noted that a number of events have happened in the region and the world since the last visit of the European Union Special Representative for the South Caucasus to Azerbaijan, and emphasized the importance of an exchange of views on these issues. Touching upon the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, President Ilham Aliyev said that the settlement of the dispute was one of the most important factors for the regional stability. The head of state noted that the goal of the Armenian side was to extend the process of negotiations and maintain the status quo. President Ilham Aliyev said the long-term status quo was unacceptable, adding that this has repeatedly been stated by the presidents of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chair countries. Touching upon the developments on the line of contact, President Ilham Aliyev noted that the Armenian side involved Azerbaijan in provocation. The head of state noted that this was the tactics of the Armenian side, adding the international mediators do not take this conflict for serious.

Touching upon the Azerbaijan-EU relations, President Ilham Aliyev said that the biased anti-Azerbaijani position of some circles of the European Union was unacceptable.

During the meeting, the sides exchanged views over the current state and prospects of cooperation between Azerbaijan and the European Union, and the issues related to the settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.