Azerbaijan's Aliyev pulls out of talks with Armenia and EU

FILE PHOTO: Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev delivers a televised address to the nation in Baku, Azerbaijan, September 20, 2023. Press Service of the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo

(Reuters) -Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev on Wednesday pulled out of an EU-brokered meeting with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, dealing a blow to prospects for rescuing the peace process between the two countries.

The meeting had been aimed at preventing any further escalation and restoring dialogue after Azerbaijan last month seized back control of a region populated by ethnic Armenians, prompting more than 100,000 of them to flee to Armenia.