EU considers sanctions for Azerbaijan amid renewed fears of war
- 3 March, 12:30
The European Parliament has adopted two resolutions that propose the imposition of sanctions on Azerbaijan in case of the South Caucasus country’s aggression against neighbouring Armenia.
The resolutions on the EU's foreign, security, and defense policy adopted on February 28, calls for the EU to take sanctions against the Azerbaijani authorities responsible for multiple ceasefire violations and to suspend the Memorandum of Understanding on Energy.
Furthermore, the resolutions urge the EU to suspend negotiations over a new partnership agreement with Azerbaijan “in the light of recent events and the country’s dramatic human rights situation”. The resolutions also envisage military assistance to Armenia “to strengthen the resilience of Armenia in the context of ensuring security, independence and sovereignty and lead to more comprehensive and enhanced defence cooperation between the sides.”
Azerbaijan responded to the EU resolution promptly, with the Parliament issuing a declaration denouncing the resolutions adopted by the European Parliament as “biased”.
The declaration made on February 28, questioned the timing of the resolution, especially amid the ongoing peace negotiations in Germany and expressed concerns over the “absurd” claims made. It suggested that certain points in the report align closely with official Armenian positions, indicating undue influence from the Armenian lobby. Furthermore, the Parliament expressed concerns over the report’s endorsement of arming Armenia, stressing that it had the potential to raise tensions in the region.
