The European Parliament chambers
The European Parliament passed a measure on Thursday urging the European Union to take more active and aggressive steps to ensure a lasting settlement for the Karabakh conflict.
Saying that the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs must “swiftly” return to the region and their mediation roles, the European Parliament resolution also stressed that the OSCE Minsk Group remains the only internationally recognized format for the resolution of this conflict, on the basis of the principles of territorial integrity, non-use of force, self-determination and equal rights, and peaceful resolution of conflicts.
The legislation also is pressing Azerbaijan and Armenia to address post-war issues, including the demarcation of borders and the release of all remaining prisoners of war.
In the resolution, the European Parliament reaffirmed its “unwavering support to the Eastern Partnership (EaP) countries, and in particular as regards their independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity within their internationally recognized borders as well as the respect for the will of the people to decide their own future and foreign policy, free from outside interference”.
The European Parliament also called for the full implementation of the Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement with Armenia, stressed the need for increased EU and Member State engagement in the South Caucasus for the region’s stability and prosperity as well as to counteract the influence and interference of regional powers.
“With this resolution, the European Parliament, in a principled manner, made emphasized Azerbaijan’s efforts to distort the truth,” said Kaspar Karampetian the president of the European Armenian Federation for Justice and Democracy.
“The role played by Anna Aghajanyan, Armenia’s Ambassador to Brussels, and her team of diplomats was extremely decisive,” said Karampetian. “Of course, as in the past, the EAFJD continues to engage and inform European Parliament members and other political circles, all in the name of Armenia’s state interests.”