Politico: EU, US, Russia hold secret talks days before Azerbaijan’s anti-terrorist measures in Garabagh

Top US and EU officials met with their Russian counterparts in Türkiye for undisclosed emergency talks to resolve the Garabagh issue, just days before Azerbaijan launched anti-terrorist measures on its internationally recognized territories ruled by the separatist junta regime.

Following Russian President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the off-diary conference marked a rare – though ultimately fruitless – communication between Moscow and the West on a key security matter.

A senior diplomat with knowledge of the discussions told POLITICO the meeting took place on September 17 in Istanbul as part of efforts to pressure Azerbaijan to end its nine-month “blockade” of the enclave and allow in humanitarian aid convoys from Armenia. According to the envoy, the meeting focused on “how to get the bloody trucks moving” and ensure supplies of food and fuel could reach its estimated 100,000 residents.

The US was represented by Louis Bono, Washington’s senior adviser for Caucasus negotiations, while the EU dispatched Toivo Klaar, its representative for the region. Russia, meanwhile, sent Igor Khovaev, who serves as Putin’s special envoy on relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

Such high-level diplomatic interaction is rare. In March, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov came face to face on the sidelines of the G20 meeting in India — but Moscow insisted the exchange happened “on the move” and no negotiations were held.

In a statement provided to POLITICO, an EU official said “we believe it is important to maintain channels of communications with relevant interlocutors to avoid misunderstandings.” The official also observed Klaar had sought to keep lines open on numerous fronts over the “past years,” including in talks with Khovaev and Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin.

A spokesperson for the US State Department declined to comment on the meeting, saying only that “we do not comment on private diplomatic discussions.”

However, a US official familiar with the matter who was granted anonymity to discuss sensitive diplomatic matters explained the discussions came out of an understanding that the Kremlin still holds sway in the region. “We need to be able to work with the Russians on this because they do have influence over the parties, especially as we’re at a precarious moment right now,” the American official said.

On September 19, Azerbaijani Armed Forces launched an anti-terrorist measure in Garabagh in response to the mine terror by the Armenian sabotage group that killed four employees of the Azerbaijani Interior Ministry.

As a result of a one-day campaign, Garabagh’s junta regime agreed to surrender and negotiate the reintegration process with Baku on September 21 in Azerbaijan’s Yevlakh city.