European Council President Charles Michel has said that Baku remains an EU partner despite its brazen attack on the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh.

"Azerbaijan is a partner today, yes, it’s a partner. That doesn’t mean the relationship is simple. No, it’s not simple. Are there difficulties? Yes, and these difficulties are real and should be understood," he told Euronews on Monday, October 2.

He denied that the EU had turned a blind eye to signs of hostilities when EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen hailed Baku a “trustworthy” partner in 2022, striking a deal to double EU imports of Azerbaijani gas by 2027 in a bid to wean off Russian fossil fuel imports.

"I understand the argument, but it’s not correct," Michel said. "We showed Europe's ability to very quickly diversify energy supplies following the Russian invasion of Ukraine and therefore we now have many options in terms of energy supplies."

When asked if the EU should reconsider its gas deal with Baku, Michel said: "Of course. What we now need to look at is how to normalise the relationship between Armenia and Azerbaijan so that we can firmly and incontestably ensure the mutual recognition of the territorial integrity of both countries."

"We will encourage a normalisation process that can lead to commitments on both sides to respect the promises they have made. And the absolute priority is to ensure that there are negotiations on territorial borders," he explained.

"It is the European mediation process that secured progress in this regard, on a peace treaty to normalise the relationship and also on what we call connectivity, that is, the possibility both for the populations of both Armenia and Azerbaijan to be able to move in the region."

On September 19, Azerbaijan launched a military offensive against Nagorno-Karabakh, which left hundreds of Armenians killed and thousands of others displaced. On September 20, the authorities of Nagorno-Karabakh agreed to a ceasefire on Azerbaijan’s terms, including the dissolution of the Defense Army. On September 18, President of the Republic of Artsakh Samvel Shahramanyan signed a decree, according to which the Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) will cease to exist by January 1, 2024. As of October 1, over 100,500 displaced residents have already fled Nagorno-Karabakh and reached Armenia.