The European Parliament’s Foreign Relations Committee has prepared a new report reviewing the EU’s relations with Armenia, in which Azerbaijan is called upon to withdraw its troops from the sovereign territory of Armenia.
“Deputies of the European Parliament strongly condemn the large-scale military attack on Armenia carried out by neighboring Azerbaijan in September 2022, which undermined previous attempts to achieve peace and led to the occupation of the sovereign territory of Armenia by Azerbaijani forces,” the report says.
Emphasizing that this latest aggression is not directly related to the long-term conflict in the Nagorno-Karabakh region, the report calls on the Azerbaijani authorities to withdraw troops from all parts of Armenian territory. It also calls on the two countries’ governments to work towards a comprehensive and mutually acceptable peace agreement. It urges the EU to continuously engage, mediate and effectively contribute to a peaceful resolution of this conflict.
However, the MEPs reaffirm that any such peace agreement to be effective must include provisions that guarantee the integrity of Armenia’s sovereign territory, the rights and security of the Armenian population living in Nagorno-Karabakh and other conflict-affected areas, as well as the rapid and safe return of refugees and internally displaced persons. Safe return to their homes.
“The report welcomes the full entry into force of the Armenia-EU Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement in March 2021 and Armenia’s commitment to implement it. The deputies of the European Parliament also praise Armenia for the significant reforms implemented in recent years, the democratization process, as a result of which the country has become a leader of democracy in the region,” the report states.
The CoE MPs also call on the EU and Armenia to work closely on the implementation of current and future reforms within the framework of the Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement while emphasizing that it covers a wide range of joint work, including strengthening democracy, the rule of law and human rights, economic growth and promoting sectoral cooperation.
In addition, the report acknowledges Armenia’s fight against crime and corruption and calls on the government to continue implementing reforms to strengthen democratic institutions, the rule of law, and the independence of the judiciary, despite the complex international situation and challenges Armenia faces.
It is noted that the deputies of the European Parliament are concerned about Russian disinformation campaigns in Armenia. Welcoming improvements in media freedom, MEPs stress that the country’s media environment continues to be characterized by polarization and are concerned about incidents of hate speech and physical violence against journalists.
MEPs are also concerned about ongoing Russian disinformation campaigns in Armenia targeting the European Union and the West and call for efforts to educate and improve the diversity of the country’s media sector and promote media literacy. Fully supporting the efforts of the Armenian government in the fight against disinformation, the MEPs say that any measure should not lead to restrictions on journalists or freedom of speech.
“The report on EU-Armenia relations again reaffirms the European Parliament’s commitment to peace in the region and cooperation between Armenia and the EU in several important areas. As an important step in this direction, we welcome establishing an EU 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 two months,” said spokesman Andrey Kovachev.
It is noted that the report was adopted with 55 votes in favor and five abstentions. After the Commission’s voice, the text will be submitted to the European Parliament for approval.
