BREAKING: Aliyev reportedly pulls out of Granada summit

By Mark Dovich

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has reportedly pulled out of talks planned Thursday with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and the leaders of France, Germany, and the European Union.

APA, a pro-government Azerbaijani news agency, reported Wednesday, citing unnamed sources, that Baku decided to snub the talks after Paris and Berlin rejected an Azerbaijani proposal to give Turkey a spot at the negotiating table.

Azerbaijan also decided to boycott the talks after France said Tuesday it will begin selling weapons to Armenia, according to APA.

Read more: France to arm Armenia, foreign ministers confirm

Aliyev and Pashinyan had been set to hold talks with France’s Emmanuel Macron, Germany’s Olaf Scholz, and the EU’s Charles Michel on the sidelines of the European Political Community Summit in Granada, Spain.

As of publication, neither Baku, nor Yerevan, nor Brussels had not commented publicly on the news, and it was not immediately clear if talks would proceed without Aliyev’s participation.