Politico: The EU highlights the need for an Armenian-Azerbaijani peace agreement after the deadlock in negotiations

European Council President Charles Michel is renewing efforts to bring a lasting peace to the South Caucasus, as tensions rise in the war-torn region, Politico writes.

In a conversation with the newspaper, two senior diplomats confirmed that the former Belgian prime minister had held bilateral meetings with the leaders of both Armenia and Azerbaijan in the U.K. earlier this month.

Michel has also written to the two sides, calling on them to return to the table of negotiations and “finalize the peace agreement” by making progress on outstanding issues like border delimitation.

However, frustration has been growing in Brussels after months of delays and diplomatic deadlock that has seen a long-awaited truce fail to materialize. Despite the meetings with Michel, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev failed to find an opportunity to sit down together—with both sides pointing the finger at the other for the standoff.

“Ultimately, it’s up to both sides to stop playing games and seal the deal as President Michel has done everything in the EU’s power to reach a peace agreement,” a senior EU diplomat close to Michel said.