Meeting with the Armenian Foreign Minister

On November 3, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan received the Foreign Minister of the Federal Republic of Germany Annalena Baerbock, who is on a working visit to Armenia, the press office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia reported.

The bilateral meeting of the foreign ministers of Armenia and Germany was held and continued in an expanded format with the participation of both delegations. After the meeting Ararat Mirzoyan and Annalena Baerbock held a joint press conference.

In his press statement Mirzoyan said: "It should be recalled that Germany is Armenia's first trade partner in the European Union and we expect that the active cooperation of the business communities of the two countries will allow us to set a new, much more ambitious benchmark in terms of trade turnover. We attach great importance to the activities of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) and the Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW) in Armenia. We value and appreciate the inclusion of Armenia in the framework of the German BMZ 2030 reform strategy, which is aimed at promoting the stable continuation of the current reforms and programs in Armenia."

"More than 100,000 people of Nagorno-Karabakh, including children, elderly and women, have been forcibly displaced from their homes after months of inhumane blockade by Azerbaijan and due to legitimate fear of possible atrocities. At the same time, the occupation of the sovereign territory of the Republic of Armenia has not disappeared, there are humanitarian problems, Armenian prisoners of war and illegally captured civilians are being held in prisons in Baku," the Armenian Foreign Minister added.

Meeting with the Armenian Prime Minister

On the same day Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan received the delegation led by Annalena Baerbock, the press office of the Armenian Prime Minister reported.

The interlocutors emphasized the implementation of consistent steps for further development and strengthening of economic relations between Armenia and Germany. In particular, the sides exchanged views on the possibilities of expanding cooperation in the energy sector and other areas. Nikol Pashinyan emphasized the Armenian government's interest in the expansion of German capital in the Armenian market.

The sides exchanged views on the cooperation between Armenia and the European Union and its further expansion. Annalena Baerbock noted that the German government and the EU are ready to provide the necessary support to the Armenian government to advance the agenda of democratic reforms.

Issues related to the process of normalization of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan were discussed. Prime Minister Pashinyan emphasized the contribution of Germany and the personal contribution of Chancellor Olaf Scholz to the peace process. The importance of the principles established in the quadrilateral statement of the Armenian Prime Minister, the French President, the German Chancellor and the President of the European Council on the normalization of Armenia-Azerbaijan relations was underlined.

In her turn, Annalena Baerbock said “Germany supports the territorial integrity of Armenia and Azerbaijan, and this must be the basis for all peace negotiations.” “I believe that European Council President Charles Michel’s efforts could serve as a bridge for establishing peace between the two countries. Therefore, the start of a new round of negotiations is important,” she told during the press conference. 

Baerbock also noted that Germany had provided to Armenia 22 million euros in humanitarian aid since 2021. “Today the Federal Republic of Germany is providing another 9.3 million euros for humanitarian aid.” This would enable care to be provided for those refugees who were most in need of help, said Baerbock. “It will give people hope and restore some degree of normality for them.”

Meeting with the Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan

On November 4, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan Jeyhun Bayramov received a delegation led by Annalena Baerbock, the press service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan reported.
Speaking about bilateral relations, Minister Bayramov said that they are developing successfully. "More than 200 German companies are working in Azerbaijan. 70 percent of German trade turnover in the South Caucasus is with Azerbaijan. German companies have invested 810 million dollars in Azerbaijan, and Azerbaijan has invested 550 million dollars in Germany," he noted.

Jeyhun Bayramov said that he informed Minister Annalena Baerbock about the peace initiatives, delimitation and demarcation of borders during the negotiations. Speaking about the "anti-terrorist operation" carried out by Azerbaijan in the Karabakh region, he said that Azerbaijan has taken all possible steps to find a solution to the problem through dialogue. "When it was impossible to prevent it, Azerbaijan conducted a short-term anti-terrorist operation in anticipation of all international and humanitarian laws. This was also confirmed by the UN mission," Bayramov added.

Bayramov believes that there is no alternative to peace and normalization of relations with Armenia. He said that Armenia has not yet responded to Azerbaijan's latest initiatives in this regard and is waiting for an answer.

Annalena Baerbock said that the South Caucasus is an interesting region for Europe. One of the reasons for this is the economic sphere. According to her, building trust and confidence is important for conflict resolution. The Minister recalled that she had met with the Armenian residents of Karabakh in Armenia. "They hope that they will be able to return. Azerbaijan must give these people a chance to return. We need peace in the region. A continued peace process is also in Azerbaijan's interest. The issue of territorial integrity of both countries should be based on a peace agreement. I am glad to hear the same position from both sides," she added. She also said that Germany has openly declared that Karabakh is the territory of Azerbaijan and that Germany has always supported the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan.

Meanwhile, Jeyhun Bayramov said that the Azerbaijani side always supports the holding of meetings with Armenia in various formats. The minister said that he had a meeting with the Armenian Foreign Minister in Tehran these days. "The main thing is that there is a will of Azerbaijan and Armenia, although the formats are different, the meetings should continue in the direction of normalization of relations," the Azerbaijani Foreign Minister noted.

Minister Baerbock said that all initiatives for peace and tranquility in the region should be evaluated. She said the parties have certain reservations about mediators. "We - Germany, as a partner of the European Union, offer our coordinating role to find a common way. After my meetings in both countries, I have the impression that the parties are open to this. The ministers hope that we will continue to work in this direction in the future," she said.

It should be noted that during the joint press conference the Azerbaijani Foreign Minister urged Minister Baerbock to use internationally recognized Azerbaijani toponyms of cities in Karabakh. In her speech, Baerbock, along with Azerbaijani city names, also used Armenian ones, which caused dissatisfaction of her Azerbaijani counterpart.

Meeting with the President of Azerbaijan

On November 4, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev received Annalena Baerbock, the press office of the Azerbaijani president reported.

They exchanged views on bilateral relations between Azerbaijan and Germany, normalization of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan, ensuring peace, stability and security in the entire South Caucasus region.

The German Foreign Minister noted that her country supports the normalization of relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia, the signing of a peace treaty and the Brussels format supported by the European Union in this regard. She noted that Germany is ready to help in eliminating the humanitarian problem of landmines faced by Azerbaijan.
President Ilham Aliyev said Azerbaijan supports regional cooperation between the countries of the South Caucasus, noting that cooperation between these three countries has not been possible so far due to Armenia's aggression against Azerbaijan.

"The head of state emphasized that in the last three years Armenia has been transporting weapons and military personnel to the Karabakh region of Azerbaijan. President Ilham Aliyev described Nikol Pashinyan's congratulations to the puppet regime established and supported by Armenia in the territories of Azerbaijan on September 2 and the holding of so-called elections by the puppet regime, which has already dissolved itself, on September 9 as provocative steps aimed at aggravating the situation in the region," the report added. President Ilham Aliyev noted that Azerbaijan has restored its sovereignty as a result of local anti-terrorist measures and that the country supports the normalization of relations with Armenia, the signing of a peace treaty and the regional peace agenda.