"Armenian Cause": 36 MEPs urge Kaja Kallas to sanction Azerbaijan and  review energy ties

ArmInfo.On March 11, a cross-party coalition of MEPs sent an official letter to Kaja Kallas, the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, urging a fundamental reassessment of the EU's policy towards Azerbaijan.

According to a statement received by ArmInfo from the ARF "Armenian  Cause" Central Committee, the letter, initiated by MEP Marie  Toussaint and supported by 36 other lawmakers, is a response to a  series of developments, including the recent life sentences of  Armenian prisoners  in Baku and documented evidence that Azerbaijan  is assisting Russia in evading EU sanctions. "Continued cooperation  in the absence of meaningful conditionality risks undermining trust  in the European Union," the signatories warn, pointing to systemic  pressure from the political opposition and the Azerbaijani  parliament's hostile rejection of EU diplomatic efforts.

The MEPs' demands also center around the unresolved humanitarian  crisis following the 2023 military operation against Artsakh. The  letter explicitly condemns the ongoing denial of the right of return  of Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh, emphasizing the current lack of a  credible basis for their right of return, as well as a practical  mechanism for economic compensation for the displaced.

"The EU cannot remain silent when the fundamental rights of an entire  people are being trampled," the letter's authors note, recalling that  the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly has already emphasized the urgent  need to resolve the status of displaced persons and release political  prisoners.

The MEPs also call for five immediate steps: a human rights review-a  comprehensive audit of the EU- Azerbaijan Partnership and Cooperation  Agreement; targeted sanctions-application of the EU's global human  rights sanctions regime to those responsible for arbitrary detention;  high-level dialogue-an immediate summit to discuss the rights of  displaced Armenians and the release of political prisoners;  suspension of energy cooperation- freezing of expanded energy  cooperation until Azerbaijan makes tangible progress in the area of  human rights and sanctions compliance; and anti-circumvention  measures - restrictive measures against entities, including the  state-owned company SOCAR, that are involved in supporting Russian  oil exports.

The letter describes the trial of Armenian figures held in Baku as a  violation of international humanitarian standards. In conclusion, the  parliamentarians note that in 2025, the parliamentary activity that  has developed since the end of the year gives Kaja Kallas a clear  political mandate to move from statements to principled actions to  protect the rule of law and international inclusiveness.