EU calls Azerbaijan’s attack on Armenia “disproportionate”

PanARMENIAN.Net - The European Union’s foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell called Azerbaijan’s attack on Syunik on Tuesday a “disproportionate” response and “deplorable,” Asbarez reports.

Borrell first recalled Azerbaijan’s claims on Monday, February 12 that one of its soldiers was injured when Armenian forces allegedly opened fire. He said that Azerbaijan’s response was disproportionate and ignored Yerevan’s assurances that the so-called incident would be investigated. He later called the attack “deplorable.”

“This once again underscores the necessity and urgency of establishing a distance between the opposing forces. This is what the European Union has been demanding for a long time. I reaffirm the full and complete commitment of the European Union to support sustainable peace based on the recognition of sovereignty, inviolability of borders, and territorial integrity,” Borrell said.

Borrell made the remarks ahead of a session of the Armenian-EU Partnership Council, which kicked off on Tuesday in Brussels with Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan in attendance.

Mirzoyan touched on Tuesday’s attack in the village of Nerkin Hand in Syunik that killed four Armenian soldiers and emphasized that the incident “once again demonstrates that Azerbaijan is looking for pretexts to escalate tension along the border and is continuously trying to abort the efforts of actors interested in the stability and security of the South Caucasus to resume negotiations.”

The attack in Syunik was again brought up when Borrell called the incident “deplorable” during a joint press conference with Mirzoyan.

Borrell said that Tuesday’s attack “again illustrates the urgent need for the distancing of forces, something the European Union has been advocating for for a long time.”

“Today I have to reiterate the European Union’s full commitment to supporting a sustainable and lasting peace based on the principles of sovereignty, inviolability of borders and territorial integrity. The EU Mission in Armenia has recently been reinforced and will continue to contribute to ensuring an environment conducive to normalization efforts,” Borrell added.

He also announced that the EU will continue to support Armenians displaced from Nagorno Karabakh, adding that the Commissionhas announcedan additional 5.5 million euros in humanitarian aid.

During the press conference Borrell and Mirzoyan outlined an ambitious partnership plan when they announced the launch of a new approach to solidifying EU-Armenia relations.

“In October, your prime minister said in the European Parliament that Armenia is ready to move closer to the European Union,” Borrell told a joint news briefing with Mirzoyan, referring to a speech made by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan at the European Parliament.

“In response, the European Council, the highest political level of the EU, tasked me and the [European] Commission to explore ways to strengthen our relations in all dimensions. And in this context, today we decided to launch work on an ambitious new EU-Armenia partnership agenda,” Borrell added.

“Today’s meetings demonstrated that EU-Armenia relations are stronger than ever, and there is a mutual interest to advance them further,” said Borrell.

Declaring that the “future starts now,” Mirzoyan said that Tuesday decision sends Armenia a strong signal “of mutual interest in a new strategic phase in our relations and will provide a clear roadmap and vision for the way forward.”

“Armenia is willing to further deepen the partnership with the European Union,” Mirzoyan said for his part.

The plan referenced visa liberalization between the EU and Armenia, as well as other efforts to bolster economic and energy cooperation.