Europe to accompany Armenia and Azerbaijan on their way to peace -  Olaf Scholz

ArmInfo. Europe as a whole will accompany Armenia and Azerbaijan on the path to establishing peace  with each other. As stated on the website of the Federal Government, German Chancellor Scholz announced this during a press conference at the summit of the European Political Community in London.

According to Scholz, the conversation with Armenian Prime Minister  Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Aliyev was important for him.  "This year is extremely important for this region. It can become a  year of peace if the parties continue to take effective and bold  steps towards each other.

I took the opportunity to urge the parties to do so. Europe as a  whole will accompany Armenia and Azerbaijan on the path to  establishing peace with each other, which will last a long time and  ensure long- term good cooperation between these two countries, which  are neighbors," Scholz emphasized.

When asked by the journalist whether it is possible to say that the  results of today's meetings with Pashinyan and Aliyev inspire him  with optimism regarding the possibility of achieving a quick peace  between Yerevan and Baku, the German Chancellor noted that both  countries are conducting intensive negotiations with each other.  According to him, they are quite constructive, many agreements have  already become visible, including regarding some border issues, the  return of populated areas and regarding prisoners.

"Something has really happened, and everyone I've talked to here  believes that more than 90 percent of the problems standing in the  way of a final peace agreement have been resolved. I know from  negotiations that the last percent can sometimes be very difficult,  but I say: I look at this much more encouragingly than, for example,  last year. We have always supported this and are ready to continue to  do so, and both sides perceive us as a good interlocutor," concluded  Scholz.