MEPs to call on EU member-states to impose sanctions on Azerbaijan

ArmInfo. MEPs intend to approve a European Parliament resolution on the situation in  Nagorno-Karabakh after Azerbaijan's attack and the continuing threats against Armenia.

According to the draft available on the official website of the  European Parliament, the European Parliament: 

Condemns in the strongest terms the pre-planned military attack by  Azerbaijan against the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh and calls for an  immediate and complete end to the violence against the people of this  region;

Stresses that this attack represents 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;

calls on all parties to the conflict to actively support and ensure  the full implementation of the ceasefire agreed on 20 September 2023;

Deplores the loss of life and injuries resulting from the recent  attack by Azerbaijan, including after an explosion at a fuel depot on  25 September 2023; expresses its solidarity with the Armenians of  Nagorno- Karabakh who have been forced to flee their homes; considers  that the current situation amounts to ethnic cleansing and strongly  condemns threats and acts of violence committed by Azerbaijani troops  against the population of Nagorno-Karabakh; 

Reminds Azerbaijan that it bears full responsibility for the safety  and well-being of all people in Nagorno- Karabakh and must be held  accountable; urges the Azerbaijani authorities to refrain from any  actions that could lead to the continuation of the forced exodus of  the local population; calls on the Azerbaijani authorities to allow  the safe return of the Armenian population to Nagorno-Karabakh, to  offer solid guarantees regarding the protection of their rights and  to refrain from any inflammatory rhetoric that would incite  discrimination against Armenians or urge Armenians to leave  Nagorno-Karabakh; reminds the Azerbaijani authorities that the right  to return to one's home is a fundamental precept of international  human rights law; calls on the Azerbaijani authorities to closely  consult the Council of Europe, the UN, the Organization for Security  and Co-operation in Europe and other international organisations  concerning best practices to guarantee the rights of ethnic  Armenians; calls on Azerbaijan to release all inhabitants of  Nagorno-Karabakh arrested since 19 September 2023, including former  officials from the region; 

Demands the immediate lifting of the blockade of the Lachin corridor  in order to ensure the delivery of humanitarian aid to those in need  in Nagorno-Karabakh and that the Lachin corridor be opened and kept  open, as it provides a physical connection for Karabakh Armenians to  their land, property, culture and heritage; urges the Azerbaijani  authorities to make every effort to ensure that Armenians who have  left are able to access all the necessary information on how to  restore their residency in NagornoKarabakh and avail themselves fully  of all other rights to property, social benefits and education, among  other things, should they decide to return;

Calls for the EU and its Member States to urgently work towards  securing international guarantees ensuring the safety and well-being  of Armenians living in NagornoKarabakh and the immediate restoration  of full humanitarian access to the region; calls for the creation of  all necessary conditions for the safe return of refugees to their  homes; calls for the rapid deployment of a UN inter-agency mission to  Nagorno-Karabakh to monitor and assess the human rights and security  situations, as well as the preservation of cultural and historical  heritage sites; calls for the urgent replacement of the Russian  peacekeeping forces with an international peacekeeping mission;

Reiterates its condemnation of the Azerbaijani military incursions  into the internationally recognised territory of Armenia; reiterates  its demand for the withdrawal of Azerbaijan's troops from the  entirety of the sovereign territory of Armenia; rejects and expresses  its grave concern regarding irredentist and inflammatory statements  made by the Azerbaijani president and other Azerbaijani officials  threatening the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Armenia,  including those in connection with the so-called Zangezur corridor;  condemns the support provided during this crisis to Azerbaijan by  other countries and calls for an end to this support in order to  prevent further escalation; 

Calls for the EU and its Member States to adopt targeted sanctions  against individuals in the Azerbaijani Government responsible for  multiple ceasefire violations and violations of human rights in  Nagorno- Karabakh; calls for investigations of abuses committed by  Azerbaijani forces that could constitute war crimes; calls for a  comprehensive review of the EU's relations with Azerbaijan, taking  into account recent developments and the worsening human rights  situation in the country; calls, if Azerbaijan continues to disregard  its commitments, for the EU and its Member States to consider  suspending the visa facilitation agreement with Azerbaijan and  lowering the level of cooperation with the country in other areas;

Finds unacceptable comments and threats addressed towards MEPs by the  Azerbaijani authorities, including the Ambassador of Azerbaijan to  the EU;

Condemns President Erdogan for exploiting the armed conflict in  Nagorno-Karabakh to advance Trkiye's political and economic  interests; encourages Turkiye to take a constructive and responsible  approach regarding Armenia's territorial integrity and to foster  peace in the region;

Commends Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan for his commitment  to peace; reiterates the EU's commitment to supporting Armenia's  sovereignty, democracy and territorial integrity; strongly condemns  Russia's increasing hybrid attempts to destabilise the political  situation inside Armenia; welcomes Armenia's determination to ratify  the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court; Calls for the  EU to respond favourably to Armenia's request for support via the  European Peace Facility and to increase its humanitarian and  financial assistance to Armenia, which faces the arrival of tens of  thousands of refugees; calls for the EU, in the light of the  disruption to the education of thousands of ethnic Armenians, to help  establish and fund scholarships for pupils and students who have been  evacuated so that they can continue their studies; 

Believes that genuine dialogue between Azerbaijan, Armenia and  representatives of the Karabakh Armenians is the only sustainable way  forward and calls for the EU and its Member States to support such  efforts; underlines the need for a comprehensive peace agreement  between Armenia and Azerbaijan which must include the mutual  recognition of territorial integrity, guarantees for the rights and  security of Nagorno-Karabakh's Armenian population and the release of  prisoners;

Calls for the EU and its Member States to increase their presence on  the ground and increase humanitarian aid to people displaced from  Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia or living in Nagorno-Karabakh;

Calls on the EU civilian mission in Armenia to closely monitor the  evolving security situation on the ground, provide transparent  reporting to the European Parliament and actively contribute to  conflict resolution efforts; supports increasing the size and  strengthening the mandate of the European Union Mission in Armenia  (EUMA) and extending its duration; deplores the fact that Azerbaijan  never allowed EUMA to be deployed on its territory;

Expresses deep dissatisfaction at the fact that regular alerts by the  European Parliament regarding the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh and  the risks of a catastrophic outcome were disregarded by the  Commission and the Council; deplores the fact that EU action has not  so far led to any positive results whatsoever; demands that the EEAS  reconsider its action in the South Caucasus and replace dedicated  staff; 

Deplores the Hungarian Government's decision to block a joint  statement of all EU Member States condemning the military operation  by Azerbaijan against the Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh;  urges the Council to unite in support of the EU having more active  involvement in the protection of human rights and the promotion of  peace between Azerbaijan and Armenia;

Questions the appropriateness of increasing the EU's dependency on  gas exports from Azerbaijan; urges the Commission to investigate  suspicions that Azerbaijan actually exports Russian gas to the EU;  calls for the suspension of all imports of oil and gas from  Azerbaijan to the EU in the event of military aggression against  Armenian territorial integrity or significant hybrid attacks against  Armenia's constitutional order and democratic institutions; 

Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council,  the Commission, the Vice-President of the Commission / High  Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy,  the President, Government and Parliament of the Republic of  Azerbaijan, the President, Government and Parliament of the Republic  of Armenia, the Government and Parliament of the Russian Federation,  the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, the UN and  the Council of Europe.

The full text of the draft resolution is available here: 

https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/B-9-2023-  0402_EN.pdf?fbclid=IwAR0DyrlDhoDG5e6lvrkKIjw91--AXCw7AkRX0lnfZXNfjcV_iTyJT5vEJMU