President receives EU Special Representative for South Caucasus and Georgian Crisis Herbert Salber

President Serzh Sargsyan received EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus and the Crisis in Georgia Herbert Salber, who is going to take up another mission in the near future. Thanking Herbert Salber for his tenure-long efforts, the President of Armenia wished him every success in his future activities.

Reference was made to EU-Armenia relations and the prospects for furtherance of bilateral cooperation. The parties highly appreciated the current level of EU-Armenia interaction. President Sargsyan expressed gratitude to the European Union for Madad regional trust fund-funneled support of our Syrian compatriots who have found refuge in Armenia.

Serzh Sargsyan and Herbert Salber touched upon the process of peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and the recent developments in the conflict zone. The President of Armenia said to be concerned about Azerbaijan’s policy of continued provocations, which seeks to escalate the tensions in defiance of the calls voiced by the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs.

The Special Representative stressed that the EU continues to believe that there is no alternative to a peaceful settlement of the problem, and it is necessary to make efforts to avoid escalation and pave the way for a negotiated settlement.