Armenian President Armen Sarkissian is on his way to Brussels to discuss the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh with NATO and EU officials, his office said on Wednesday.
He expects to meet NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell and European Council President Charles Michel, among others, his office added.
Sarkissian’s visit to Brussels comes as fighting continues in and around Nagorno-Karabakh, a region that has been controlled by Armenians since the 1990s but is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan. The frozen conflict flared up in late September and has now killed more than 700 people, including dozens of civilians.
Last week, Sarkissian told POLITICO that he wanted answers from NATO over Turkey’s involvement in the conflict.
“I would like to speak to the NATO leadership as to why this very strange situation is taking place where Turkey, a full NATO member, is involved in a war that has nothing to do with NATO. How on earth is it that a NATO member is acting as freely as a cowboy and NATO does nothing? Does this mean they have a green light from NATO?†he said.
Turkey is backing its long-time ally Azerbaijan, with Armenia accusing Ankara of sending fighter jets and Syrian mercenaries in support of Baku — which Turkey denies. NATO members do not need to seek permission from the alliance to get involved in external wars.
Sarkissian expects that NATO and the EU “will do everything possible to stop military aggression of Azerbaijan and NATO member Turkey†in order to allow a cease-fire to take hold, the president’s office said.
