Titled “The Situation in Azerbaijan, Violation of Human Rights and International Law and Relations with Armenia,” this resolution was initiated by the prominent Armenian sympathizer Nathalie Loiseau.
It can be assumed that recent developments, including the election of this supporter of Armenian interests as the first vice-chair of the European Parliament’s delegation for relations with the South Caucasus, played a significant role in facilitating yet another political manoeuvre in the European Parliament.
“Proud to have convinced a very large majority of the European Parliament to vote on the resolution I presented regarding Azerbaijan on the eve of COP 29. Everything is said in it, and no one will be able to say they didn’t know that the COP in Baku is the COP of shame,” Loiseau said on the social network X.
Let’s remember that this same individual previously advocated for the deployment of an expanded EU mission to Armenian territory along the conditional border with Azerbaijan. As she stated, this was necessary to “deter new attacks from Baku.” Therefore, it is not surprising that the new resolution from the European Parliament calls for the expansion and extension of the European mission’s mandate in Armenia, which is clearly aimed against Azerbaijan’s interests.
In February 2024, the European Parliament adopted two resolutions, each calling for sanctions against Azerbaijan and the suspension of the memorandum of understanding on strategic energy partnership. The current resolution contains a similar call. Like all previous ones, this new European Parliament resolution has nothing to do with objectivity and reality, instead confirming the West’s double standards toward Azerbaijan, which the country has faced since the era of Armenian occupation.
A clear example of this is the resolution’s call for the EU to cease any technical and financial assistance to Azerbaijan that could bolster its military capabilities and for member states to freeze all exports of military equipment to Azerbaijan. However, this same resolution welcomes assistance to the Armenian armed forces from the European Peace Facility, calls for further strengthening of Armenia-EU cooperation in the fields of security and defence, and condemns any military aggression, use of force, or hybrid threats against Armenia. It also emphasizes that issues related to the unblocking of communications in the region must be resolved solely with respect for Armenia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Furthermore, the resolution calls on the Azerbaijani authorities to “unimpeded and expeditious return of people who fled Nagorno-Karabakh,” while over the thirty years of Armenian occupation, not a single statement has ever been made in the European Parliament about the need for Azerbaijanis to return to their homes.
But it gets worse. The resolution also urges the Azerbaijani authorities to “refrain from further destruction, neglect or alteration of the origins of cultural, religious or historical heritage.” Here, one might ask: were the members of the European Parliament so blind during the thirty years of Armenian occupation that they failed to notice the deliberate destruction of Azerbaijan’s cultural and historical heritage by Armenian vandals? The answer to this question is evident: it reflects the same double standards of the West previously mentioned.
On the other hand, the European Parliament’s “concern about the human rights situation in Azerbaijan” indicates that while European parliamentarians are quick to spot the speck in someone else’s eye, they remain oblivious to the log in their own. This is particularly notable given that in several EU countries, the human rights situation is, to put it mildly, far from ideal—a reality acknowledged by some reputable Western publications. Recently, Caliber.Az referenced an article from the British newspaper The Guardian, which highlighted a troubling surge in racism and growing Islamophobia faced by Muslims in Europe. The article noted that a survey conducted by the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA), involving 9,600 Muslims from 13 member states, revealed that racism and discrimination are prevalent in many areas of their lives.
Notably, the European Parliament’s latest attack on Azerbaijan has sparked a negative reaction even within Europe itself. In particular, Italian media report that Edmondo Cirielli, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Italy, criticized the resolution adopted by the European Parliament on October 24, calling it “biased and full of legal and historical inaccuracies.”
“It is not Azerbaijan that is responsible for the Armenians abandoning the region, as testified by independent UN reports. In contrast, more than 750,000 Azerbaijanis were forced to flee by the ongoing war sparked by Armenia under the pretext of protecting Armenians living in internationally recognized Azerbaijani territory,” the Italian diplomat emphasized, adding that ” European Parliament’s resolution certainly does not aid the swift approval of a peace treaty between Baku and Yerevan.
The Azerbaijani Ministry of Foreign Affairs also firmly condemned the resolution adopted by the European Parliament on October 24, delivering a note of protest to the EU ambassador to Azerbaijan, Peter Michalko. The ministry emphasized that the ongoing smear campaign against Azerbaijan through various EU institutions, statements, and actions that infringe upon the sovereignty and territorial integrity of our country only encourage revanchism in Armenia and undermine efforts to establish peace in the region.
The European Parliament’s resolution has also faced justified criticism from the Milli Majlis (parliament) of Azerbaijan.
“We have reviewed the resolution adopted by the European Parliament on October 24, titled ‘The Situation in Azerbaijan, Human Rights Violations, International Law, and Relations with Armenia.’ This institution, which positions itself as a representative of European parliamentarism, has set aside all the problems of the old continent and continues to launch attacks on our country,” stated the parliament in its comment.
Meanwhile, the Community of Western Azerbaijan condemned the European Parliament’s attempts to discriminate against the Azerbaijani people based on ethnic and religious criteria, accusing it of attempting to recreate conflict in the region under the guise of “protecting human rights.” “We will continue to expose the anti-Azerbaijani policies and the efforts of these elements to advance their own political agenda at the expense of human rights,” emphasized the Community in its statement.
Baku’s strong response to yet another provocation from the European Parliament sends a clear message that Azerbaijan will not tolerate interference in its internal affairs and intends to continue defending its rights without regard for anyone.
Matanat Nasibova
Caliber.Az
