European Council chief calls Aliyev

President of the European Council António Costa held a phone call with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on August 14 to congratulate him on the recent peace initiatives with Armenia, the Azerbaijani presidential press service reported.

Costa praised the signing of the Washington Declaration between Azerbaijan and Armenia, the initialing of the Agreement on the Establishment of Peace and Inter-State Relations, and progress on the regional transport corridor. He underlined the importance of these developments for lasting peace and stability in the region and expressed the EU’s readiness to support implementation.

Aliyev thanked Costa for the congratulations and emphasized that Azerbaijan had initiated the peace agenda and authored the draft peace treaty. He also highlighted the role of U.S. President Donald Trump in securing the agreements and stressed the significance of unimpeded transit between mainland Azerbaijan and the Nakhchivan region.

The two leaders welcomed their meeting and discussions held in May at the European Political Community Summit in Tirana, where Aliyev met with Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

They also exchanged views on the future of EU–Azerbaijan relations and other issues of mutual interest.