The European Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs has prepared a new report reviewing the European Union’s relations with Armenia, which calls on Azerbaijan to withdraw its troops from Armenian territory, emphasising that any peace treaty must include Armenia’s territorial integrity, the rights and security of the Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh, and the rapid and safe return of refugees and internally displaced persons to their homes. It also praises Armenia’s efforts towards democratic reforms, as a result of which Armenia has become a leader of democracy in the region.
Armenpress learned from the European Parliament’s website that in the new report, parliamentarians strongly condemn Azerbaijan’s large-scale military attack on Armenia in September 2022, which violated previously undertaken efforts to reach peace and led to the seizure of Armenia’s sovereign territory by Azerbaijani forces.
Stressing that this latest attack has no direct connection with the long-standing conflict in Artsakh, the report calls on the Azerbaijani authorities to withdraw troops from all parts of Armenian territory.
The report also urges the governments of both countries to work towards a comprehensive and mutually acceptable peace treaty, while urging the European Union to remain continuously engaged, mediate and effectively contribute to the peaceful resolution of the conflict.
The report welcomes the full entry into force in March 2021 of the Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement between Armenia and the European Union, and Armenia’s commitment to its implementation. Parliamentarians call on the European Union and Armenia to work closely within the framework of the Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement on the implementation of ongoing and future reforms, stressing that it covers a broad scope of joint work.
“The report on European Union-Armenia relations once again reaffirms the European Parliament’s commitment to peace in the region and the cooperation between Armenia and the European Union in a number of important areas. As an important step in this direction, we welcome the deployment of the European Union mission in Armenia and call on the Azerbaijani government to guarantee freedom and security of movement through the Lachin corridor, which has been blocked for almost 2 months,” said rapporteur Andrey Kovatchev after the vote.
The report was adopted with 55 votes in favour and 5 abstentions. Following the committee vote, the report will be presented in full for approval by the European Parliament.
