On May 14, a trilateral meeting was held between European Council President Charles Michel, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. President Charles Michel stated that it was a pleasure to host President Aliyev and Prime Minister Pashinyan for a fifth meeting in Brussels and their exchanges were frank, open and result-oriented. 

He commended their efforts and noted that they shared a common willingness for a South Caucasus at peace. Michel mentioned that following the recent positive talks held in the United States on the peace treaty, the momentum should be maintained to take decisive steps towards the signing of a comprehensive peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan. He also remarked that on border issues, the leaders agreed on the resumption of the bilateral meetings on border issues and stated their unequivocal commitment to the 1991 Almaty Declaration and the respective territorial integrity of Armenia and Azerbaijan. 

Furthermore, Charles Michel noted that the sides had made clear progress in their discussions aimed at unblocking transport and economic links in the region. Positions on this topic have now come very close to each other in particular on the reopening of the railway connections to and via Nakhchivan. Their respective teams have been tasked to finalize an in principle agreement on the modalities for the opening of the railway connections and the necessary construction works together with a concrete timetable. They also agreed to draw upon the support of the World Customs Organization in supporting this work.    

On humanitarian issues, there has been an understanding that further detainees would be released in the coming weeks. Michel also stressed the need to safeguard the mutual understanding that soldiers who have simply got lost and crossed to the other side would continue to be released through a speedy procedure. The parties also discussed the importance of stepping up work on addressing the fate of missing persons and on demining.

President Charles Michel also Azerbaijan to engage in developing a positive agenda with the aim of guaranteeing the rights and security of the population living in the former Nagorno Karabakh Autonomous Oblast. 

He noted that the EU had no hidden agenda and was ready to contribute to the joint efforts of Armenia and Azerbaijan and had agreed to hold the Brussels meetings as often as necessary. He also announced that leaders would meet again in Brussels in July and would meet again in the very near future with President Macron of France and Chancellor Scholz of Germany on the margins of the 2nd European Political Community Summit in Chișinău, as well as inviting the leaders for another meeting in the margins of the third EPC summit in Granada in October.