European Parliament urges Azerbaijan to comply with Minsk Group mandates

The Plenary Session of the European Parliament held an urgent debate on Tuesday on the situation in Nagorno Karabakh, where Federica Mogherini, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Vice-President of the Commission stressed that the status quo in the conflict leads nowhere, and that both, Armenia and Azerbaijan should work together to find a peaceful solution, Horizon Weekly reported.

Mogherini also reiterated the EU’s support to the OSCE Minsk Group, which is the only internationally mandated body to work towards a peaceful solution to the Nagorno Karabakh conflict.

The overwhelming majority of Members of the European Parliament representing all political groups, stressed the fact that there can only be a peaceful solution to the conflict, and called on Azerbaijan to accept the OSCE Minsk Group proposals for an independent mechanism to investigate ceasefire violations.

Armenia has agreed to discuss the details of the mechanism which would enable to identify the initiator of the cease-fire violation and make it difficult for the sides to blame each other for initiating deadly attacks. Baku repeatedly rejects confidence-building measures proposed by the OSCE Minsk Group, including a system for investigating individual shooting incidents, including a pulling snipers from front-line positions.

Member of European Parliament, Frank Engel of Luxembourg said, that the only solution is the recognition of the independence of the Nagorno Karabakh, because today Azerbaijan is the aggressor, and it was the aggressor 24 years ago, and continued to violate the ceasefire on a smaller scale, and Baku glorifies a convicted killer, Ramil Safarov and believes that all Armenians in the region must disappear.

European Parliament member Eleni Theocharous of Cyprus, reiterated her support to Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh, stressing that the EU needs to put sanctions on the regime in Baku, and recognize the Republic of Nagorno Karabakh. MEP Stetina (EPP, Czech Republic) stressed the fact, that Karabakh was handed over to Azerbaijan by the Bolsheviks, and not supporting the Armenians, means accepting the Soviet regime’s rulings.