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European Council President Charles Michel has called on Armenia and Azerbaijan to refrain from “maximalist positions” and reconfirm respect for each other’s sovereignty and territorial integrity ahead of the upcoming meeting between the two leaders in Moldova.

“Looking forward to continuing discussions on the Armenia-Azerbaijan normalisation with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in Chisinău,” he said in a tweet on Tuesday.

“Essential to reconfirm respect for each other’s sovereignty & territorial integrity, & to advance on border delimitation, also to reduce risks in border areas,” the diplomat added.

“Dialogue between Baku and Armenians living in former NKAO on their rights & security is now crucial.

“Important to refrain from maximalist positions and aim for dialogue. After more than 30 years of conflict, wounds take time to heal. Courageous decisions are needed,” Michel tweeted.

His comments came after Aliyev’s fresh threats of military action against Armenia and Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh).

Aliyev said on Sunday that apart from recognizing Azerbaijani control of Karabakh, Yerevan must also meet a number of other conditions set by Azerbaijan, including delimiting the Armenian-Azerbaijani border on Baku’s terms and opening an exterritorial corridor to Nakhichevan. He also demanded the withdrawal of the “Armenian military from Nagorno-Karabakh.”