Brussels, June 13, 2023 – Today during the question time of the Plenary session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg an exchange of views was held between Members of the European Parliament and the EU High Representative Josep Borrell/VP. The MEPs addressed critical questions to the EU HR on the blockade imposed by Azerbaijan on the native Armenian population of Nagorno Karabakh/Artsakh and the EU’s policy in this regard.
The majority of the MEPs who took the floor reiterated the necessity for a stronger EU position against the Azerbaijani aggression and condemned the ethnic cleansing policy of Azerbaijan.
MEPs condemned the inactivity of the EU leadership regarding the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and the efficiency of the current EU mission in Armenia. MEPs called on the EU leadership to use its leverage to lift the blockade of the Lachin Corridor, which has resulted in a humanitarian crisis. Furthermore, MEPs called to sanction Azerbaijan, which does not respect any of the agreements or the order of the ICJ, saying that the EU executive seems unable to properly condemn this very serious violation of the fundamental rights of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh.
Elaborating on the session, the EAFJD President Kaspar Karampetian said, “ Because of the pressure exercised by the MEPs, Josep Borrell stated that he would pass the request to EU Ministers concerning the necessity to impose sanctions on Azerbaijan if it continues the blockade.”
“We highly appreciate the continuous efforts of the MEPs who, as much as their capacity allows, stand up for the rights of the native Armenian population of Nagorno Karabakh/Artsakh. It is just a pity that the statement of the Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan regarding the Armenia’s recognition of the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan was being used by MEPs who have exercised an anti-Armenian stance throughout the past years or by the EU HR Borrell to counter the legitimate concerns of the MEPs about the status of Nagorno Karabakh,” concluded Karampetian.