The President of the European Council, Charles Michel, and the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs, Josep Borrell, denounced, on Tuesday 19 September, the military escalation in Karabakh.
Earlier in the day, Azerbaijan launched a military operation 3 years after the previous war, demanding Armenia’s “total and unconditional” withdrawal from this disputed region.
“Military actions of Azerbaijan must be immediately halted to allow for a genuine dialogue between Baku and Karabakh Armenians”, stressed Mr Michel on X (formerly Twitter).
“We call for the immediate cessation of hostilities and for Azerbaijan to stop the current military activities”, added Mr Borrell in a statement, warning that the military escalation should not be used as a pretext to force the exodus of the local population. Several civilians have reportedly been killed or injured since the start of the operation.
According to the High Representative, there is an “urgent need” to return to dialogue between Baku and Karabakh Armenians. He said that the violence had to stop in order to provide a conducive environment for peace and normalisation talks. “A genuine commitment by all sides is required to work towards negotiated outcomes. The EU remains fully engaged to facilitate the dialogue”, added Mr Borrell.
In a joint statement, the Chair of the European Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs, David McAllister (EPP, German), the Chair of the Delegation for relations with the South Caucasus, Marina Kaljurand (S&D, Estonian), and the rapporteurs on Armenia and Azerbaijan, Andrey Kovatchev (EPP, Bulgarian) and Željana Zovko (EPP, Croatian), said that this “clearly pre-planned attack, reported along the entire Line of Contact, coming just hours after the blasts and following weeks of observed Azerbaijani military build-up and aggressive rhetoric, is totally unacceptable”.
They called for an immediate halt to all military action and deplored the fact that the offensive was seriously compromising the ongoing peace negotiations between Azerbaijan and Armenia.
For the MEPs, direct negotiations between Baku and Stepanakert are the only way to achieve progress in the relations between the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh and Azerbaijan.
MEPs of the European Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs will debate the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh with the European External Action Service on Wednesday 20 September.
To see the MEPs’ statement: https://aeur.eu/f/8no (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)