Azerbaijan’s Parliament voted Friday to suspend cooperation with the European Parliament and begin terminating its membership in the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly. The move followed a Thursday resolution adopted by the European Parliament that addressed Nagorno-Karabakh and the rights of Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians.

European Parliament resolution on Nagorno-Karabakh

The European Parliament’s text said it supports the rights of Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians, including their right to a safe, unimpeded and dignified return under appropriate international guarantees. The resolution also called for those responsible for the destruction of Armenian cultural and religious heritage to be held accountable, and for an international assessment mission.

It condemned Azerbaijan’s detention of Armenian prisoners of war, detainees and hostages, and demanded their immediate and unconditional release. The resolution also referred to the entire Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh, about 100,000 people, who fled after Azerbaijan’s final offensive into the region in 2023. Azerbaijani lawmakers treated those passages as the trigger for Friday’s break.

Marijana Kujundžić receives protest note

On Friday, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry summoned Marijana Kujundžić, the EU ambassador to Azerbaijan, and handed her a note of protest. The ministry told Kujundžić that the unfounded and biased provisions against Azerbaijan were condemned.

The parliamentary statement escalated that message further. It said that “at the core of the European Parliament’s activities lies a decisive rejection of the norms and principles of international law and the concept of justice.” It also said the body had shown disregard for the 30-year occupation of Azerbaijani lands by Armenia, the destruction of hundreds of Azerbaijani cities and villages, and the human rights of more than 1 million refugees and internally displaced persons.

Euronest ties face termination

The vote does more than suspend one channel of contact. By starting the process of terminating membership in the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly, Azerbaijan is moving to sever a parliamentary link that sits alongside its ties with the European Parliament. The resolution’s other sections applauded the ongoing peace process between Armenia and Azerbaijan and expressed support for growing Armenia-EU ties, which makes the split sharper rather than procedural.

That friction centers on the fate of 19 Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians held in Azerbaijan. Some are still on trial, while others have recently received lengthy prison sentences after being accused of committing war crimes and other associated charges. For now, the clearest next step is institutional rather than military: Azerbaijan has begun the process of ending its Euronest membership while the European Parliament keeps its resolution on the books.