BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 20. The recent resolution adopted by the European Parliament against Azerbaijan once again shows that this body is far from demonstrating an independent and fair approach, Azerbaijani political analyst Azer Garayev told Trend.
According to him, the approach in the text of the resolution, the lexicon used, and the arguments presented are entirely one-sided, based on political sympathies and lobbying interests instead of facts.
"Specifically, some provisions of the comprehensive agreement signed between the European Union and Armenia could result in increasing tensions rather than serving peace in the region.
The resolution presents the 2023 anti-terror measures carried out in Karabakh as 'ethnic cleansing' and 'pressure on ethnic minorities'. However, the measures were conducted within Azerbaijan's internationally recognized borders for the aim of restoring its sovereignty. The UN, EU, and other organizations recognize Azerbaijan's territorial integrity. Yet, the European Parliament makes a one-sided assessment without considering this reality. This approach interferes with Azerbaijan’s internal affairs and politically encourages Armenia not to adopt a constructive position in the peace process," the analyst explained.
He noted that the agreement contains provisions that could indirectly serve as a means of pressure on Azerbaijan.
"This document does not respect Azerbaijan's territorial integrity or the new realities established in 2020, including Azerbaijan's sovereignty. Instead, it includes statements and calls aligned with Armenia's interests. This contradicts the efforts aimed at signing a peace agreement in the region.
Although the agreement mentions 'lasting peace and the resolution of conflicts in accordance with international law', Armenia's interpretation of this is presented as reopening discussions on the status of Azerbaijan's internal territories.
Any ambiguous provisions regarding Azerbaijan's territorial integrity provide Armenia with a political pretext to take an unconstructive position in peace talks."
According to Garayev, if the goal is peace, both sides should be approached equally.
"The European Parliament’s resolution also supports Armenia’s 'democratization efforts', calling on its to receive economic and security assistance. However, the resolution fails to address issues such as Azerbaijan’s 30 years of occupation, mined territories, and humanitarian consequences.
This is a glaring example of imbalanced politics in the region. If the goal is peace, both sides should be treated equally.
Azerbaijan seeks the opening of international transit routes, as stated in the trilateral statement of November 10, 2020. Presenting this as a 'means of pressure' contradicts international agreements.
These examples show that both the EU-Armenia documents and the European Parliament's resolutions include provisions that don't serve real peace in the region, but rather strengthen one-sided political positions.
Garayev emphasized that the document adopted by the National Assembly in response to the European Parliament's biased resolution is a well-founded and timely step.
"The Azerbaijani parliament expressed its position clearly and diplomatically but firmly. The adopted document once again demonstrated that Azerbaijan defends its sovereignty based on international law and will not succumb to any pressure," he added.