The Federal Parliament of Belgium is expected to consider a resolution calling for the immediate withdrawal of the Azerbaijani armed forces from Nagorno-Karabakh.
The Chamber of Representatives of the Belgian Parliament will consider the resolution in the plenary session shortly. The resolution was approved by the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Belgian Federal Parliament today, the European Armenian Federation for Justice and Development (FEAJD) reports.
The resolution condemns the military aggression of Azerbaijan, supported by the Turkish authorities and foreign mercenaries, against the Armenian population of the Republic of Artsakh, as well as the deliberate Azerbaijani attacks on civilians and the use of cluster munitions and phosphorus bombs.
The resolution clearly calls for the immediate withdrawal of the Azerbaijani armed forces and their Turkish and mercenary allies from the Nagorno-Karabakh region, conquered by the use of force and violence. In its preamble, the resolution recalls that in addition to the right to self-determination of the Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh, the principle of non-use of force constitutes a basic principle of the OSCE Minsk Group, which was not respected by Azerbaijan.
Since the final status of Artsakh was not mentioned in the ceasefire declaration signed on November 9, the Chamber calls on the Belgian Government to support the resumption of the negotiations, under the aegis of the OSCE Minsk Group, which will have to take into account in particular the right to self-determination of the population of Artsakh when drawing up a compromise on the final status of Nagorno-Karabakh.
After adoption of the resolution in plenary session of the Chamber, the Belgian Government will have the task of demanding that Turkey no longer interfere militarily in the conflict, that it immediately cease playing a destabilizing role in the Caucasus and especially that it stops promoting the transfer of Syrian mercenaries and jihadists to Nagorno-Karabakh, by organizing their immediate withdrawal from the region.
According to the resolution, any interference by Turkey in the ceasefire monitoring mission is seen as dangerous for the safety of the local population. Any such mechanism will have to be implemented within the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group.
The FEAJD and the Armenian National Committee of Belgium ((CDCA Belgium) welcome the fact that the Chamber asks the Federal Government to do everything possible to contribute, with its European partners, to the reconstruction of the destroyed or damaged buildings of Artsakh and to provide humanitarian aid to the local population and all the families of the victims and refugees. The Government should support the dispatch of a UNESCO mission to preserve the architectural and religious heritage located in the areas of Artsakh now controlled by Azerbaijan.
Finally, the Chamber condemns in the strongest terms the execution of prisoners of war and demands that the perpetrators of these crimes be prosecuted and punished. It proposes the dispatch of international observers without delay to gather evidence of war crimes, such as torture and the execution of prisoners.
The FEAJD and the (CDCA Belgium) are now calling on all federal parliamentarians to adopt this resolution during the next plenary session and will remain attentive to ensuring that the motions voted on are effectively implemented by the federal government as quickly as possible.