The European Parliament adopted the report on RA-EU relations with 534 “for,” 10 “against” and 66 “abstentions” votes. The author of the report is Andrey Kovatchev, the Permanent Rapporteur on Armenian affairs in the European Parliament. Verbal amendments were proposed to the report, which In particular, the European Parliament, addressing the RA authorities, notes: “The attention of the RA authorities is drawn to the risks of cooperation with the Iranian authoritarian regime, which, among other crimes and violations, is the supplier of military equipment used by Russia in its war of aggression against Ukraine.”
The European Parliament also warns that it takes note of the reports of some non-governmental organizations and opposition representatives, which reveal the possible risk of regression, at least in some areas, and calls on the RA government to make visible progress in these areas.
The European Parliament calls on the RA authorities to complete the multi-faceted investigation into the alleged abuse of force by the police against protesters, journalists, opposition figures, and civil activists. was accepted. Therefore, the document states that Azerbaijan is condemned for the blockade of the Lachin Corridor, as well as the incident that took place on March 5, which resulted in casualties, jeopardizing the peace process.
The report specifically states: “Azerbaijan’s military actions follow the alarming statements of the Azerbaijani authorities, which refer to considering the territory of Armenia as the land of Azerbaijani ancestors and threaten to use force, taking into account that since December, 2022 civilian traffic between Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh through the Lachin Corridor has been blocked, which has negatively affected the supply of food and other essential supplies and services to the region”.
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In the resolution, the European Parliament strongly condemns the large-scale military aggression of Azerbaijan in September 2022 against many places in the sovereign territory of Armenia, which was a severe violation of the ceasefire and contradicted the commitments made earlier, including the EU-mediated negotiations. The document stipulates: “The European Parliament condemns the military invasion of the internationally recognized territory of Armenia starting from May 2021. The latest September aggression has nothing to do with the long-term conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh.” With this resolution, the European Parliament demands that Azerbaijan eliminate any obstacles to the freedom and security of movement through the Lachin Corridor.
The European Parliament also proposes creating a temporary international mechanism to guarantee the security of the Armenian population and all returnees in Nagorno-Karabakh. With the document, the European Parliament supports the normalization of RA-Turkey relations, welcoming the progress achieved so far, including the resumption of flights between the two countries.
The resolution of the European Parliament also refers to RA-Iran relations.
In particular, the European Parliament, addressing the RA authorities, notes: “The attention of the RA authorities is drawn to the risks of cooperation with the Iranian authoritarian regime, which, among other crimes and violations, is the supplier of military equipment used by Russia in its war of aggression against Ukraine.”
The European Parliament also warns that it takes note of the reports of some non-governmental organizations and opposition representatives, which reveal the possible risk of regression, at least in some areas, and calls on the RA government to make visible progress in these areas.
The European Parliament calls on the RA authorities to complete the multi-faceted investigation into the alleged abuse of force by the police against protesters, journalists, opposition figures, and civil activists.
Tatev HARUTYUNYAN
