European Parliament’s report calls on Azerbaijan to immediately leave Armenian territories

YEREVAN, March 15. /ARKA/. The European Parliament's Committee on Foreign Affairs adopted the own-initiative report by Andrey Kovatchev (EPP, BG) on EU-Armenia relations, which noted that over more than three decades, the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict as well as the recent incursion by Azerbaijan into Armenian sovereign territory have resulted in tens of thousands of casualties, immense destruction and the displacement of hundreds of thousands of people.

The report says that durable and sustainable peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan cannot be achieved through military means and the threat of force but requires a comprehensive political settlement in accordance with international law.

The report reaffirms that in order to be effective, a comprehensive peace treaty must include provisions that guarantee the integrity of Armenia’s sovereign territory, the rights and security of the Armenian population residing in Nagorno-Karabakh and other conflict afflicted areas, and the prompt and safe return of refugees and internally displaced people to their homes.

The report strongly condemned the large-scale military aggression by Azerbaijan in September 2022 against multiple places in the sovereign territory of Armenia, which constituted a serious breach of the ceasefire and contradicted earlier commitments, including those made as part of EU-mediated talks.

The Azerbaijani authorities are called on to immediately withdraw from all parts of the territory of Armenia and to release the POWs under their control, to remove any obstacles that would hinder freedom and security of movement along the Lachin corridor.

The EU is urged to be more actively involved in settling the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan. -0-