The European Armenian Federation for Justice and Democracy (EAFJD) has issued an open letter to the EU Special Representative (EUSR) for the South Caucasus, Magdalena Grono, expressing “profound disappointment” over her participation in a recent diplomatic tour to Nagorno-Karabakh organized by the Azerbaijani government.
In the open letter, EAFJD President Kaspar Karampetian strongly denounces the participation of European officials in Baku’s orchestrated showcase, stating:
“For me as a president of a European grassroot organisation with committees in 13 EU Member states and simply as a European citizen who believes that human dignity is inviolable, it was sad to witness high-ranking European diplomats become a convenient part of a show, carefully curated by Baku’s authoritarian regime.”
Karampetian draws a clear distinction between legitimate diplomatic engagement and becoming an audience for state-sponsored historical revisionism:
“We fully recognize that an EU Special Representative must engage with all sides and that first-hand access to the region is important. However, there is an important distinction between independently witnessing realities on the ground and participating in a highly curated visit. One can indeed gain insight without violating the dignity of a people who were uprooted only three years ago after being subjected to starvation and blockade.”
The letter specifically criticizes how such propaganda events allow Baku “to instrumentalize the EU, in its goal of normalizing the ethnic cleansing it committed”. Further the EAFJD President highlights the disturbing optics of European officials “cheerfully dancing at a reception in a place emptied of its indigenous population only three years ago” – actions that inevitably carry political weight regardless of individual intent.
Warning against short-sighted appeasement that compromises core principles, Karampetian concludes:
“We recognize that the EU has economic and political interests in Azerbaijan. Nevertheless, diplomacy where not only principles but also human dignity is sacrificed, quickly becomes complicity. Moreover, it might seem in the moment that fitting in the scenario curated by the Aliyev regime, flatters him or appeases him enough to achieve the goals one has set. But this approach is rather short-sighted, and is not the best basis for gaining respect, not even of the party being flattered.”
The EAFJD reiterates its readiness to engage constructively with the EUSR but maintains that an open and direct dialogue is urgently required given the gravity and symbolism of the visit.