“Perhaps Russia could also initiate sanctions against Baku; it is obvious, however, that such a thing is not happening,” the question of whether it is time for the West to switch from calling for sanctions against Azerbaijan at the press conference answered the Chairwoman of the Security and Defense Subcommittee of the Foreign Relations Committee of the European Parliament, Nathalie Loiseau (RENEW, France).
She said that the European Parliament is not a decision-making body regarding the application of sanctions. “The European Parliament has already approved the decision of targeted sanctions against those officials of Azerbaijan who do not respect the planned measures and do not fulfill their obligations. But the decision to decide on sanctions does not belong to the parliament.”
Nathalie Loiseau reminded again that after the 2020 ceasefire agreement, it was clear that Russia is responsible for ensuring the free movement of people and goods along the Lachine Corridor and noted: “I continue to be puzzled as to why Russia, which is a permanent member of the UN Security Council and a member of the CSTO, does not fulfill its mission to this day. We are also surprised by Azerbaijan’s gas export because the volume of exported gas now exceeds the volume of gas production by Azerbaijan. If Russia has decided to agree with Azerbaijan to be on Azerbaijan’s side, then it is time for Russia to say about it publicly. We did not see a single truck entering Nagorno-Karabakh when we were near the Lachin Corridor. The situation is getting worse. Neither the International Committee of the Red Cross nor the Russian trucks can enter the Lachin Corridor anymore. Now, no one can pretend that it is because of eco-activists because we see the checkpoint installed by Azerbaijan.”
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To the question: How do you assess the work of EU observers in Armenia, especially in the context that Azerbaijan is continuously firing at Armenia? The Security and Defense Subcommittee Chairperson of the European Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Relations answered: “Each of our interlocutors from Armenia highly appreciated the mission of the European Union. It is the first time that the EU is deploying an observation mission in Armenia. We were also ready to send it to Azerbaijan. Until now, Azerbaijan has not accepted that offer.
My impression is that the military incidents that have been documented are only happening on one side. There are no evidentiary data that would confirm the accusations made by Azerbaijan that military incidents are taking place on the side of Armenia. It is not surprising because Armenia wants peace. The European Union mission in Armenia is accountable to the EU member states, who must receive full information about the situation on the ground. The mission has only been here for four months. It is not yet fully equipped with technical means or human resources.
Still, they carry out a lot of patrols; they have good relations with the local authorities, and the population highly values their presence. But please don’t get confused. It is a civilian mission. Their role is to monitor the situation, they cannot prevent the incidents, but the party responsible for the incidents should know that they are under monitoring.”
Tatev HARUTYUNYAN
