BAKU, Oct 5, 2023 (BSS/AFP) - Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev has
turned down a European meeting in Spain with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol
Pashinyan this week, because of European support for Yerevan, an official
told AFP on Wednesday.

Pashinyan later said he would still go to the summit of the European
Political Community (EPC) in Granada, adding it was a "shame" that the two
leaders would not be able to sign a "turning point document" on the contested
region of Nagorno-Karabakh.

Two weeks ago, Aliyev launched a one-day offensive that saw his country
regain control of Nagorno-Karabakh, the home of pro-Armenian separatists.

The talks were to take place on the sidelines of the European summit, under
the mediation of France, Germany and the European Council.

"Azerbaijan did not consider it necessary to participate in negotiations in
this format," an Azerbaijani government official told AFP.

Aliyev would not attend because of "pro-Armenian statements by French
officials... and statements on the supply of weapons and ammunition (to
Yerevan), on military cooperation", the official told AFP.

French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna said in Yerevan on Tuesday that
Paris had agreed to deliver military equipment to Armenia, without
elaborating.

The official said Aliyev's decision was also influenced by "accusations made
yesterday by EU Council President Charles Michel".

Michel, who has mediated several meetings between the foes in recent years,
criticised Baku's use of military force.

The official also cited an "anti-Azerbaijani atmosphere" and said Baku had
wanted the meeting to take place in Turkey, its ally, which welcomed the
Karabakh offensive.

- 'Dialogue is essential' -

US State Department spokesman Vedant Patel urged dialogue between the two
arch-enemies.

"We note that President Aliyev will not participate in the proposed meeting
in Granada," Patel told reporters.

"We've consistently been clear, though, that dialogue between Armenia and
Azerbaijan is essential to resolving this longstanding conflict."

The new head of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee called for an end
to security aid to Azerbaijan.

"As the world continues to grapple with Azerbaijan's coordinated, intentional
campaign of ethnic cleansing, we must both prioritise support for the
Armenians who have been expelled as well as (hold) Azerbaijan accountable,"
Senator Ben Cardin said in a statement.

In Yerevan, Pashinyan told parliament on Wednesday that he would still travel
to Spain.

"We are going to Granada with a delegation from the foreign ministry and the
Security Council," he said.

"We were in a constructive and optimistic mood, because we thought that a
turning point document could be signed," he said. "Until this morning the
likelihood of this was very high."

Pashinyan said he hoped an agreement would be signed "at a good moment".

Most of the Armenian population of the self-proclaimed Nagorno-Karabakh
republic has fled since Azerbaijan's offensive, and the separatist government
has agreed to dissolve.

Armenia and Azerbaijan have been locked in a dispute over the mountainous
region since the final days of the Soviet Union, going to war twice: in the
1990s and in 2020.