MEPs criticize Armenia for heinous provocation against Azerbaijan

Armenian military’s killing of two Azerbaijani civilians in provocation on the frontline and the necessity of resolving the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict were once again stressed at the international arena.

Members of the European Parliament and independent Azerbaijani and Armenian experts discussed the issues at the meeting of the European Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs (AFET) on July 11.

During the discussions, member of the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly, Slovenian MP Ivo Vajgl criticized Armenia’s military-political regime for the death of Azerbaijani civilians as a result of the shelling of Alkhanli village of Azerbaijan’s Fuzuli region on July 4.

In the evening of that day, the Armenian armed forces using mortars and grenade launchers shelled the village. As a result of this provocation, a resident of the village and her twoyear-old granddaughter were killed. Another resident, who got wounded, was taken to the hospital and was operated on.

Vajgl brought to the attention of the participants that Azerbaijan’s territories were occupied by Armenia, adding that Azerbaijani people were forced to leave their houses.

He further stressed the necessity of making serious efforts to resolve the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh, which is important from the security point of view of the European Union. Vajgl added that the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict must be resolved only within the international law.

European Parliament rapporteur on Azerbaijan, member of Euronest PA, Romanian MP Norica Nicolai also condemned Armenia for the death of the Azerbaijani civilians.

She noted that the incident occurred in the area adjacent to Azerbaijan’s Nagorno-Karabakh region, where Azerbaijani civilians live, rather than in the occupied NagornoKarabakh region itself.

Member of the European Parliament, Lithuanian MP Petras Austrevicius also said that shelling of Alkhanli village of Azerbaijan’s Fuzuli region by Armenia is a wrong action and there is a big threat of the resumption of the conflict.

MEP, Croatian MP Zeljana Zovko, in turn, stressed that the NagornoKarabakh conflict can be resolved only peacefully, and the war is unacceptable. She added that such tension on the line of contact of Azerbaijani and Armenian troops is causing the death of civilians and it must be prevented.

Other MEPs also delivered speech and expressed concern about the events on the NagornoKarabakh frontline.

Armenia captured NagornoKarabakh and seven surrounding regions from Azerbaijan in a war that followed the Soviet breakup in 1991. As a result of the war, more than 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed and nearly 1 million were displaced. Large-scale hostilities ended with a Russia-brokered ceasefire in 1994 but Armenia continued the occupation in defiance of four UN Security Council resolutions calling for immediate and unconditional withdrawal. Today, 20 percent of Azerbaijani lands are under Armenian occupation.

Azerbaijan has long ago stated it is ready to settle the prolonged Nagorno-Karabakh conflict through direct negotiations with Armenia with mediation of the OSCE Minsk Group. However, the Armenian side is constantly trying to make up reasons to avoid a constructive dialogue and preserve the unacceptable status quo in Nagorno-Karabakh.