Expert: European Parliament’s motion on Karabakh triggered by Azeri lobby

PanARMENIAN.Net - EU has no intentions to sever ties with Armenia, despite the latter’s decision to join the Russia-led Customs Union, the Director General of the European Center of Geopolitical Analysis said.

“I don’t believe that the European Parliament’s motion on the Karabakh settlement was initiated to avenge Armenia for the CU accession,” Mateusz Piskorski told PanARMENIAN.Net

As the expert noted, in contrast to Azerbaijan and Georgia, Armenia is the most predictable and stable partner in Transcausasia. Also, he said, the EP resolution is adviosry, not expressing the official stance of the European Comission.

“I believe, anti-Armenian formulations in the text of the motion were prompted by the effectiveness and generosity of Azerbaijan in their work with MEPs, with complete absence of such work on Armenian side,” the expert said.

In conclusion he urged to intensify Karabakh’s involvement in organization of events in the EP framework in order to boost awareness of actual situation, rather than Azeri-presented one.

The European Parliament adopted a resolution on strengthening ties with Eastern Partnership states. The resolution included a Karabakh-related motion, demonstrating one-sided, pro- Azerbaijani approach to the conflict.

According to the motion, "occupation by one country of the Eastern Partnership of the territory of another violates the fundamental principles and objectives of the Eastern Partnership. The conclusion of the EU Association Agreements with Armenia and Azerbaijan should be linked to progress towards the resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, in accordance with UN Security Council resolutions 822, 853, 874 and 884 of 1993 and the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Minsk Group Basic Principles, enshrined in the L’Aquila joint statement of 10 July 2009."

"The European Parliament reaffirms the need to strive for the regional stability and security that are necessary to achieve the goals of the Eastern Partnership, also in the context of further integration with the EU; urges further efforts to progress towards the resolution of the territorial conflicts in Georgia, Azerbaijan, Armenia and Moldova."

According to the resolution, “it is deplorable that the EaP harbours a number of unsettled territorial disputes, which should be resolved; whereas Parliament fully subscribes to the principles of sovereignty, territorial integrity and the right to self-determination of nations.”