BRUSSELS. Sept 20 (Interfax) - The European Union is concerned about the future of the Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh, which is being affected by the consequences of the military action, Peter Stano, official spokesman of EU diplomacy chief Josep Borrell, said.
"It is very important that the current military operation is not used as a pretext to force exodus of the local Armenian population of Karabakh," Stano told a briefing in Brussels on Wednesday.
"We noted the latest announcement of the Azerbaijani ministry of defense that an agreement was reached for a ceasefire. We expect immediate cessation of hostilities on the ground, we expect that Azerbaijan stops the current military activities," Stano said.
"It is also important to urgently return to the meaningful and honest dialogue," he said. Brussels has also noted that such dialogue should take place on September 21, he said.
The EU member states are actively working on the events in Nagorno-Karabakh with their international partners, and the EU Political and Security Committee has held an emergency meeting in Brussels on the Karabakh situation, Stano said. At the same time, the heads of the EU institutions and EU member states are discussing it in New York, where the UN General Assembly meeting is being held.
"The EU is watching the situation very closely, and the member states will decide the next steps in this context as we see the developments unfolding on the ground," Stano said.