European Parliament condemns Baku’s ‘violent seizure’ of Nagorno-Karabakh as ethnic cleansing, demands reduction of E.U. gas imports from Azerbaijan
In a resolution adopted by an overwhelming majority of votes, the European Parliament condemned Azerbaijan’s “pre-planned and unjustified military attack” on Nagorno-Karabakh on September 19, which provoked the mass exodus of that region’s predominantly Armenian population.
With over 100,000 ethnic Armenians having been forced to flee the enclave since the latest offensive, MEPs say the current situation amounts to ethnic cleansing and strongly condemn threats and violence committed by Azerbaijani troops against the Armenian inhabitants of Nagorno-Karabakh,
says the press release on the legislative assembly’s official website.
The resolution calls on the E.U. to assist Armenia, which has been forced to deal with a massive refugee crisis. Europe, the document says, must also review its present relations with Baku, in light of its “alarming human rights record,” described as incompatible with European foreign policy objectives.
The parliament also called for targeted sanctions against Azeri officials responsible for multiple ceasefire violations and human rights abuses in Nagorno-Karabakh.
Turkey’s full support of Azerbaijan’s offensives on the region is also explicitly condemned by the resolution, which calls on Turkey to “restrain its ally,” and on the E.U. to reduce its dependence on Azerbaijan’s gas. In the event of Baku’s military or hybrid aggression against Armenia, which many fear might come next, the document proposes a full E.U. stop on oil and gas imports from Azerbaijan.
The full text of the resolution will be published on October 10.
