Faced with criticism from MEPs on all sides who believe that the EU is not doing enough, in particular, to resolve the Azerbaijani blockade of the Lachin Corridor—the only road linking Armenia to Nagorno-Karabakh—High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell expressed his irritation.
“[The] European Union does what we can do. If you have some concrete idea[s] for me to consider, please tell me. [...] And if we don’t do more, it’s because we cannot do more”, he snapped during a question-and-answer session held during the plenary session of the European Parliament.
“We are doing everything in our power on the diplomatic front”, he promised.
The High Representative felt that the only possible solution would be a diplomatic one and that, if one were reached, it would be within the framework of the current negotiations. “There has been progress, and the simple fact that both parties want to continue with the negotiations [...] gives us hope that a solution may be found to the problem as a whole”, he explained.
MEPs were harsh with regard to the EU’s civilian CSDP mission. Mr Borrell reminded MEPs that it was acting in accordance with its mandate, which did not cover the corridor. “We feel that an important contribution is being made as far as the normalisation in the border region”, stated the High Representative.
MEPs also condemned the fact that the EU is refusing to get involved in the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan. “We need to talk with both of the warring sides”, stressed Mr Borrell, who refused to answer questions about possible sanctions against Azerbaijan.
Several MEPs suggested using the new gas agreement between the EU and Azerbaijan to put pressure on Baku to free the Lachin Corridor. For Peter Van Dalen (EPP, Dutch), the EU should set a deadline for the blockade to end, mentioning 1 August. “If not, you will proceed with sanctions, and you will place sanctions on all of the [Azerbaijani] officials who are involved in this conflict”, he suggested. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)