Brussels, 29 February: During its Plenary session on 28 February the European Parliament (EP) adopted two annual reports 2023: the report on the implementation of the EU common foreign and security policy (CFSP) as well as on the EU common defense and security policy (CSDP). Initially the reports had been on the agenda of the EP Plenary on 16 January but the vote had been postponed to February.
Both EP reports contain important provisions on the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, the ethnic cleansing committed by Azerbaijan in Nagorno Karabakh, Azerbaijan’s aggression towards the Republic of Armenia as well as the EU-Armenia relations.
The CFSP reports condemns, in the strongest terms, the pre-planned and unjustified attack by Azerbaijan against the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh, calls on the Azerbaijani authorities to allow the safe return of the Armenian population to Nagorno-Karabakh and to offer solid guarantees regarding the protection of their rights. The European Parliament also demands the protection of the Armenian cultural, historical and religious heritage in Nagorno-Karabakh in line with UNESCO standards and Azerbaijan’s international commitments, deplores the fact that Baku’s offensive represented a gross violation of international law and human rights and a clear infringement of the trilateral ceasefire statement of 9 November 2020 and of the commitments that Azerbaijan made in the negotiations mediated by the EU.
The EP Plenary also stresses that Parliament’s multiple warnings about the situation have not led to any change in the EU’s policy regarding Azerbaijan and insists that any deepening of EU relations with Azerbaijan must remain conditional on the country making substantial progress on respect for human rights, the rule of law, democracy and fundamental freedoms, including the protection of ethnic minorities. The EP further calls on the EU to immediately impose sanctions on Azerbaijan and to suspend the Memorandum of Understanding on a Strategic Partnership in the Field of Energy.
Among other things the EP expresses support for Armenia, calls on the EU civilian mission in Armenia (EUMA) to closely monitor the evolving security situation on the ground, provide transparent reporting to Parliament and actively contribute to conflict resolution effort. The Parliament also calls on the VP/HR and the EEAS to further support Armenia via the European Peace Facility, in particular with a view to strengthening its defense capabilities against hybrid threats.
The CSDP report also contains provisions along the same lines as the CFSP report. Besides, it calls on the Council to be prepared to impose targeted and individual sanctions against perpetrators of aggression, including but not limited to the political and military entourage of President Aliyev, and suspend imports of oil and gas from Azerbaijan, in the event of any military aggression against Armenian territorial integrity by Azerbaijan.
While commenting on the adoption of the reports by the European Parliament, the EAFJD President Kaspar Karampetian stated:
“The European Parliament has been honoring its role as the House of democracy in taking a clear and objective stance on Azerbaijan’s destructive policy both towards Nagorno Karabakh/Artsakh and the Republic of Armenia. As EU citizens we are grateful to the majority of our elected members for their integrity. Nevertheless, we must know that unfortunately the EU executive has been and is still pursuing a different policy, inter alia praising Azerbaijan’s oil dictator as a “reliable partner”. At the end of the day what truly shapes the reality is what the executive does.”
Karampetian further emphasized:
“The EAFJD and its committees will continue their daily work with EU’s elected representatives and will keep holding the EU executive accountable for its policy. We need tangible steps from the EU and the EP resolutions are the basis to build these steps on”.
