Asbarez: European Lawmakers Urge EU to Reassess Policy Toward Azerbaijan

A group of 36 prominent Members of the European Parliament, representing the major political forces, issued a formal letter to European Union’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, demanding a fundamental “reassessment and strengthening” of the EU’s policy toward Azerbaijan.

This effort was spearheaded Marie Toussaint, who, along with the other signatories raises a series of alarming developments, including the recent sentencing of Artsakh leaders to lengthy—including life—prison terms and documented evidence of Azerbaijan helping Russia circumvent EU sanctions, the European Armenian Federation for Democracy and Justice reported on Wednesday.

“Continued engagement without meaningful conditionality risks undermining the credibility of the European Union,” the signatories warned, citing a “systematic repression” of political opposition and a “hostile” rejection of EU diplomatic efforts by the Azerbaijani Parliament.

A central focus of the European lawmakers’ demand is the unresolved humanitarian crisis following the 2023 military offensive against Artsakh. The letter explicitly condemns the “continued denial of the rights of Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh,” emphasizing that there is currently no credible framework for their right of return nor any functional mechanism for economic compensation for those displaced.

“The EU cannot remain silent while the fundamental rights of an entire population are erased,” the signatories stated, noting that the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly has already underscored the urgent need to address the status of displaced persons and the release of political prisoners.

The Members of the European Parliament called for five immediate actions:

A Human Rights Review: A comprehensive audit of the EU-Azerbaijan Partnership and Cooperation Agreement.
Targeted Sanctions: Activation of the EU Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime against those responsible for arbitrary detentions.
High-Level Dialogue: An urgent summit to address the rights of displaced Armenians and the release of political prisoners.
Energy Suspension: The freezing of enhanced energy cooperation until Azerbaijan demonstrates tangible progress on human rights and sanctions compliance.
Anti-Circumvention Measures: Restrictive measures against entities, including the state-owned SOCAR, involved in facilitating Russian oil exports.

The letter also highlighted the the sentencing of Artsakh leaders such Ruben Vardanyan and Arayik Harutyunyan last month as a violation of international humanitarian norms. Furthermore, the letter pointed to the role of Azerbaijani nationals and networks in “shadow fleet” operations that allow Russian oil to bypass EU restrictions.

The European lawmakers concluded that the parliamentary momentum built throughout late 2025 provides a “clear political mandate” for Kallas to move beyond rhetoric and take principled action to defend the rule of law and international integrity.

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