MEP CALLS ON ARMENIA TO WITHDRAW TROOPS FROM NAGORNO-KARABAKH
AzerNews, Azerbaijan
Sept 27 2013
27 September 2013, 11:48 (GMT+05:00)
By Sara Rajabova
A European Parliament member has urged Armenia to act in line with
international law and withdraw its troops from Nagorno-Karabakh,
referring to an Azerbaijani region occupied by Armenia since a war
between the two countries in the early 1990s.
In response to an inquiry of the European Azerbaijan Society about
the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Estonian MEP Kristiina Ojuland said an
impression has formed that the international community is not paying
enough attention to the conflict.
“It`s very sad that in the year 2013, we see that in the South
Caucasus — as a result of a conflict that has lasted for more than two
decades now — nearly one million people are still refugees and cannot
return to their homes. I have the impression that the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict is still a bit underestimated by the international community,”
Ojuland said.
She said the European Union won the Nobel Peace Prize last year and
therefore it should be its moral duty to contribute to a peaceful
neighborhood.
Ojuland said the moment is there to fully implement the European
Neighborhood Policy and enhance the peace process.
“On many occasions, in the European Parliament several colleagues
and myself noted that international law and especially the United
Nations Security Council resolutions need to be respected. Armenia
must commit to the international legal framework and withdraw its
troops from the Nagorno-Karabakh region,” Ojuland said.
Armenia occupied over 20 percent of Azerbaijan’s internationally
recognized territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent
regions, after laying territorial claims against its South Caucasus
neighbor that caused a brutal war in the early 1990s. Long-standing
efforts by US, Russian and French mediators have been largely fruitless
so far.
According to Ojuland, over the past years Azerbaijan has displayed
an increased openness to the West, including Europe.
“It is clear that the OSCE Minsk Group has not had decisive
breakthroughs in resolving the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. The European
Union could increase the legitimacy of the Minsk Group if it takes
a seat in it as one common actor representing 27 countries. In the
meantime, the continued presence of an EU Special Representative
in the South Caucasus is a sign that Europe is committed about the
region and realizes that South Caucasus is a very interesting region
on a geostrategic level. The EU will undoubtedly continue to pay a
particular attention to the region,” Ojuland said.
She added that one should know that the geopolitical environment in the
South Caucasus is very complicated, not only in terms of geopolitics
and strategically, but also on the level of energy security and
diversification.
“Indeed, the strategic importance of Azerbaijan as a reliable energy
supplier should not be underestimated,” the MEP said.
According to Ojuland, Azerbaijan is a country that has seen incredible
economic growth. “Along with economic growth the civil society has
more resources in supporting democratic values,” she said.
Ojuland also said energy is one of the key priorities in European
politics nowadays.
“Indeed, the agreement on the Trans Adriatic Pipeline is perhaps the
ultimate proof that the EU and Azerbaijan share a natural partnership
through which almost any political consensus can be achieved,”
she said.