Member of the European Parliament and the European Parliament’s permanent rapporteur on Armenia, Miriam Lexmann, believes that the European Union and the United States should jointly exert pressure on Azerbaijan to secure the release of Armenian prisoners held there.
The MEP expressed this view in an interview with Armenpress correspondent in Brussels.
In the interview, Lexmann also touched upon Armenia–European Union relations, expectations for the upcoming Armenia–EU and European Political Community summits in Yerevan, the EU’s actions ahead of the upcoming elections in Armenia in the context of countering possible external interference, and other related issues.
–The European Parliament has been vocal in supporting Armenia’s European aspirations. What concrete stepsshould Armenia realistically expect from the EU in the next 6 to 12 months?
-It’s not up to the EU to fulfill these criteria. Of course, the European Union is happy to support Armenia through different programs. There will be a summit very, very soon. Then there will be also the EPC ( the European Political Community) summit afterwards, where the European Union is going to talk mainly about investments in different infrastructure, digitalization, competitiveness, and other issues . So practically, the European Union cannot help Armenia in fulfilling the criteria which are necessary for membership, but the European Union is already helping. I mean, a part of the CEPA agreement is also helping in the investments through Global Gateway and other programs.
So practically, to make the whole region more resilient, because we do see that unfortunately for many years the European Union was underestimating the Russian efforts to be the dominant force in the region. And for us, it’s extremely important to support the country also through these infrastructure projects, especially when the citizens express their willingness and their vision to see their future in the European Union.
The European Union is monitoring the neighboring relations, especially with Azerbaijan and Turkey, because Azerbaijan and Turkey are partners with the European Union on a certain level as well, and it is very important that we are going to support also the steps which lead to better relations between these countries. So this is extremely important for the European Union.
After all, the European Union started after two extremely sad wars, where through economic cooperation, through infrastructure, through building also citizens’ relations, the European Union built the origin, the main pillars of the current European Union. Practically, countries, after facing wars against each other, were able to come back to develop partnerships, programs, economic cooperation, through mainly economic cooperation.
–When Brussels says it supports Armenia’s European path, what should that support mean in practical terms: visa liberalisation, stronger security cooperation, deeper economic integration, or a clearer political roadmap?
– Of course, all of this. And in all of this, Armenia must play a role, because this is not our homework, but Armenia’s homework. You mentioned, for example, visa liberalization. Of course, there are certain criteria. After these criteria are fulfilled, the European Union can make further steps into visa liberalization. One of the still difficult criteria for Armenia is to safeguard the borders of Armenia. We know that historically this was not in the hands of the Armenians, so it’s very important that Armenia does all the necessary steps, that the borders are really safeguarded in order that the European Union can proceed with the visa liberalization steps.
–On the issue of Armenian prisoners held in Baku, do you believe EU engagement with Azerbaijan should be conditioned on their release, and if not, what leverage is the EU prepared to use?
-It’s very difficult to say in what way these people can be freed as soon as possible. And of course, it’s my interest as a rapporteur for Armenia that we create and assert the necessary pressure. On a regular basis, we are expressing our demand to the European Commission to deal with this issue, because obviously, as you also said, we have also leverage on Azerbaijan through the cooperation with Azerbaijan. So, in this sense, it’s very important that the European Union is using this leverage in order to make sure that these people will be freed as soon as possible. Of course, we are coordinating with the government of Armenia, because we see that this is of high concern also to the government, and we are trying to jointly assert the pressure on the Azerbaijani side that these people will be freed.
–The European Parliament has often taken a stronger tone on Armenia than other EU institutions. Where do you see the main gap today: between Parliament and the Commission, between Parliament and the Council, or among Member States themselves?
-You mean the release of the political prisoners?
–Not only, in general concerning Armenia, because the tone is much stronger only in this institution.
-Well, I mean, in a way it’s obvious, because we can have a strong tone, but the delivery needs to be on the Commission side, and often, even in real life, it’s easier to pronounce something than to realise it. So I would say that we are those who are making the decisions and the pressure on the European Commission. So do some of the member states. But the delivery is in the hands of the European Commission. But unfortunately, we have to say that if the delivery in terms of release of political prisoners will be in the Commission’s hands, the people will be already freed. Unfortunately, their freedom is held hostage by the Azeri side.
It’s very difficult to say if the European Commission has used all possible means. I’m sure that they tried all possible means, but I hope, I really hope, that this pressure, after all, will be respected on the Azeri side, and they will also like to be seen as a partner and not hold these political prisoners for the future.
I also hope, that the United States will also join forces and create the pressure on the Azeri side, because there is a strong interest also of the United States to improve the relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan through the TRIPP project. I believe that this should be part of it.
So jointly, the EU and the United States should assert pressure on the Azeri side that these people will be freed as soon as possible.
–Ahead of Armenia’s upcoming elections, what do you see as the main democratic risks, and what kind of EU support would make the greatest difference on the ground?
– I see as the main actually political risk the interference of Russia into the elections. We already see some efforts from the Russian side, which are already happening at this moment, and I believe that this is the highest risk. For the European Union, it’s important that the people in Armenia will freely decide about their future. And we are trying to do our help. We have already sent some people who are supposed to monitor and help to kind of monitor the social media in order to detect interference, disinformation, and so on and so on.
Of course, there will be observers of the elections on the ground monitoring the elections, the procedures of the elections. We have to make sure that the interference attempts from Russia will be stopped and that the people in Armenia will be able to freely decide about their future.
– Looking at the upcoming EU-Armenia summit, what is the one concrete decision or outcome that must be delivered for Armenians to feel that the EU’s support is credible and not merely rhetorical?
I think that at the summit, the main topics will be the resilience of Armenia against geopolitical pressures, economic development, competitiveness, and trade. So I believe that Armenians will feel that the European Union is ready to support Armenia in all these areas. I believe that this is a clear signal that the European Union also sees Armenia as a potential future member. And, of course, if the Armenian people decide so, the membership will be realized. On the other hand, we also have to say that the process is extremely difficult.
Especially now in the European Union, we see that there is enlargement fatigue. And it’s very difficult to say what will be the reactions in the member states, because the membership will have to be approved by the member states. In some member states, it’s through referendum. In some member states, it’s through parliamentary votes. And of course, this is a question of the next many, many years.
But what I would say is that what is also important, maybe as homework for the European Union and for our future, is that I have been to North Macedonia a few days ago, and we were also discussing that unfortunately, due to fatigue and geopolitical turmoil, the European Union is maybe slowing down the kind of pressure on states to continue with the different steps that are necessary for membership.
I believe that the European Union should make some kind of very clear midterm achievement for these countries, where they will have the feeling that they are part of a larger family. Because, I mean, even if the EPC summit, which will take place in Armenia now, shows that the European Union, together with its southern and eastern neighborhood, is trying to coordinate, as it already sees these countries as important partners in order to face geopolitical turmoil.
I guess that this needs to be communicated very clearly, that it is not only important for us to coordinate with our neighborhood in order to strengthen the resilience of the European Union, but it is also important to make it clear that the gestures towards these countries are very clear, that we count on you.
I hope that the summit will be able to send such a gesture, and that the Armenian people will be inspired by the positive results of mutual efforts from Armenia and the European Union, which can benefit people on both sides.
–I would also like to ask for your opinion, as the rapporteur on Armenia, concerning the displaced Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh.This issue seems to be sometimes on the agenda and sometimes not, but we do not speak about it very much. Where does the question of these displaced Armenians stand on your agenda in the European Parliament, and perhaps also within the EPP Group, given that they are still waiting for concrete action from the European side as well?
-O course, this is a very important topic as well, and I hope it will be never forgotten. I’ve never forgotten the suffering of the people who had to leave their homes. And it has two dimensions. One dimension is definitely the people, their well-being, and also their future, if they decide to return, that there will be no conditions which will be unacceptable for them. So I believe that this is part of the negotiations in the future where the European Union must step in and must allow these people, if they wish so, to be able to return home, without being conditioned in such a way that the return will not be possible.
I don’t want to go into the details, but I think here the European Union should play a role again in engaging with the Azeri side, because there are also international treaties on rights of people, and this needs to be looked into.
Another part of the whole picture is also that, of course, in the meantime, I think the European Union should help ensure that people who are now living in refugee camps find a mid-term home somewhere in conditions that safeguard their dignity and do not involve living in very harsh conditions, as they had to flee their homes. So this would be the mid-term solution, but the long-term solution is that, I believe, they should have the possibility to return home without being forced, against their will, to meet conditions that are impossible to fulfill.
When it comes to land and cultural and religious heritage, this is another very important topic. I have been holding a couple of meetings and hearings with people from UNESCO, because there is a high interest, and there should also be high interest from the European side in protecting these sites from damage, as it is our shared Christian heritage. I mean, European heritage has Christian roots, and we have to be strong on this: that this heritage in Nagorno-Karabakh should be protected. I think the European Union should probably do more to safeguard these sites in Nagorno-Karabakh.