16:56,

YEREVAN, MARCH 15, ARMENPRESS. The European Parliament adopted the resolution on the EU-Armenia relations. 534 MEPs voted in favor, 10 voted against, while 66 abstained.

Amendments to the report were proposed, particularly to condemn the continuing blockade of Lachin Corridor which deteriorates the humanitarian crisis in Nagorno Karabakh, and to condemn the "March 5 incident" between Azerbaijan and the Armenians of Nagorno Karabakh which led to deaths and jeopardized the peace process. The verbal amendments were also adopted.

The report noted that “over more than three decades, the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict as well as the recent incursion by Azerbaijan into Armenian sovereign territory have resulted in tens of thousands of casualties, immense destruction and the displacement of hundreds of thousands of people…”

It further noted that “in September 2022, Azerbaijan attacked three Armenian provinces: Gegharkunik, Syunik, and Vayots Dzor; whereas Armenian authorities reported that the attack had resulted in the occupation of 220 km2 of Armenian sovereign territory, that it had left 201 people, both military and civilian, dead and that 27 people remain missing…”

“Azerbaijani military actions follow worrying statements by Azerbaijani authorities referring to the territory of the Republic of Armenia as Azerbaijani ancestral land and threatening to use force; whereas, since December 2022, civilian traffic between Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh on the Lachin corridor has been blocked, which has had a negative impact on the deliveries of food and other essential supplies and services to the region,” reads the report, in part.

The report mentions that Armenia made a 16-point improvement on Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index over the five years  from 2016 to 2021, and Armenia has the leading position in its neighbourhood in the Economist Intelligence Unit 2021 Democracy Index and the Reporters Without Borders 2022 World Press Freedom Index and that Armenia has improved its positions in the World Bank’s Women, Business and Law 2022 report, the Global Startup Ecosystem Index Report 2022, and the World Economic Forum Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report 2021.

The European Parliament “considers that the armed Nagorno-Karabakh conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan, which over the years has caused immense suffering and destruction, has significantly hampered the socio-economic development and stability of the whole South Caucasus region; is convinced that durable and sustainable peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan cannot be achieved through military means and the threat of  force, but requires a comprehensive political settlement in accordance with international law, including the principles enshrined in the UN Charter, the 1975 OSCE Helsinki Final Act, namely the non-use of force, territorial integrity and the equal rights and self-determination of peoples, and the OSCE Minsk Group’s 2009 Basic Principles and all the agreements reached between the two parties, including the Alma Ata 1991 Declaration;

Reaffirms that, in order to be effective, a comprehensive peace treaty must include provisions that guarantee the integrity of Armenia’s sovereign territory, the rights and security of the Armenian population residing in Nagorno-Karabakh and other conflict-afflicted areas, and the prompt and safe return of refugees and internally displaced people to their homes; recalls that the root cause of the conflict, which is the situation and security of the Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh and the status of the formerly autonomous region, remains unresolved; calls on the international community to keep its attention on this conflict, which is a matter of stability and security for the whole region;

Strongly condemns the large-scale military aggression by Azerbaijan in September 2022 against multiple places in the sovereign territory of Armenia, which constituted a serious breach of the ceasefire and contradicted earlier commitments, including those made as part of EU-mediated talks; condemns military incursions into the internationally recognised territory of Armenia since May 2021; recalls that this follows violations of the territorial integrity of the Republic of Armenia as reported in May and November 2021; urges the return of all forces to their positions held on 9 November 2020 and stresses that the latest September aggression has no direct link to the long-lasting conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh; reiterates that the territorial integrity of Armenia must be fully respected in line with international law and the UN Charter and calls on the Azerbaijani authorities, therefore, to immediately withdraw from all parts of the territory of Armenia and to release the POWs under their control; urges the EU to be more actively involved in settling the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan; emphasises that both sides have to respect the principle of territorial integrity, which is key for peace in the region;

Condemns the blockade of the Lachin corridor; urges Azerbaijan to remove any obstacles that would hinder freedom and security of movement along that corridor as stipulated by the trilateral statement of 9 November 2020; calls on Armenia and Azerbaijan to address all concerns relating to the functioning of the Lachin corridor through dialogue and consultations with all the parties involved…”

The EP also condemns in the strongest possible terms the torture, mutilation and killing of Armenian military personnel, including women, and eight unarmed Armenian POWs by Azerbaijani armed forces in September 2022; deplores the fact the perpetrators filmed these heinous acts and posted them on social media themselves; takes note of reports by human rights groups, in particular by Human Rights Watch, classifying this act as a war crime; calls for a full independent and impartial investigation to identify those responsible and hold them accountable for their actions.