Baku wants EU’s participation in improving relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Toivo Klaar, the European Union (EU) Special Representative for the South Caucasus and the crisis in Georgia, told this in an interview with Turan news agency of Azerbaijan.

According to him, during his meeting with the President of Azerbaijan, substantive discussions were held on the possibility of the EU's participation in restoring relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

When asked whether the EU plans to implement any projects with the participation of the media and civil society aimed at restoring relations between the societies of Armenia and Azerbaijan, the diplomat responded: “We have been working in this direction for many years, in establishing such ties. The war interrupted our work, but I think in the coming months and years we will resume activities to build bridges between the societies of Armenia and Azerbaijan, between civil societies and ordinary people. I think, with the support of the Azerbaijani authorities and taking into account the experience of the EU, much can be achieved.”

Klaar noted that at a meeting with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, he was "very inspired" by the position of the head of Azerbaijan. “He said unequivocally that he supported these efforts and I believe that the authorities want this. I am an optimist and I really think that this is a very important task—building peace,” the European diplomat emphasized.

When asked what the EU could do to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Toivo Klaar responded that the EU has long-term partnership relations with Armenia and Azerbaijan, which are members of the Eastern Partnership program. “Several weeks ago I was in Yerevan and there I discussed how the European Union can help. In Yerevan, Baku and Tbilisi, where I also discussed this, I heard the same thing—the wish that the European Union would help in normalizing relations and overcoming the legacy of conflicts in the region. We are here because this is the decision of our partners. We have extensive experience in solving problems and conflicts, establishing regional cooperation. All this is now needed here, so the European Union can do a lot and we hear proposals on this from all sides,” the diplomat said.

And when asked what the EU thinks about some countries saying that the Caucasus is a zone of their interests and that other forces should not be present there, Klaar said that he did not agree with such a statement and that this does not benefit anyone. “The more international involvement in the South Caucasus and economic support to the countries of the region, the better for these countries and for their neighbors. We want peace and prosperity in the Caucasus and this is beneficial for everyone,” Toivo Klaar emphasized.