Karabakh conflict remains high on the agenda of European Union, said EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton.

“In support of the Minsk Group, we are in dialogue with all the parties, to help them find a shared solution,” she said at discussions related to the European Partnership in Strasbourg.

Ashton stressed that conflicts in the region – in Nagorno-Karabakh, in Transistria, in Abkhazia and South Ossetia – are perhaps the most concerning obstacles to progress.

“We expect our Eastern partners in the region to do their utmost to make progress towards peaceful settlement, a strategic priority for the EU, just as we are making specific, dedicated efforts to address the many challenges these conflicts pose. Progress here will mean progress in our relationship as a whole,” she said.

The Eastern Partnership was launched in 2009 to build the EU’s political association and economic integration with six countries: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine.