On October 5, 2023, the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, issued a tendentious resolution against Azerbaijan. The resolution was passed by 491 persons for, 9 persons against, and 36 persons abstain.

I felt compelled to express my attitude in regard to the irresponsible resolution that you have adopted. I have carefully listened to the speeches of the deputies who participated in the discussions before the resolution. Initially, you were mentioning Armenia, but now you have taken a step further, adding the term 'Christian' to it. It would have been better if you changed the name of the European Union to the European Christian Union. On September 19, Azerbaijan conducted an anti-terrorism operation within its internationally recognized sovereign territory. Why did it conduct it? You are aware of its reasons, but instead of discussing it, you directly accuse Azerbaijan and adopt a resolution. Have the courage to say that terrorists and separatists in Karabakh had planted mines, and due to the explosion of these mines, 11 people lost their lives. Among them were not only civilians but also police officers who were there to help. You adopt an irresponsible resolution by passing it to the effect without stating the cause. If there is a crime, there must be punishment. During the anti-terrorism operation in Karabakh, the peaceful population and infrastructure were not targeted, only the illegal military targets were neutralized. This operation fully complied with the norms of international humanitarian law. This was also confirmed by the UN mission that visited Karabakh. Under the leadership of Vladanka Andreeva, the United Nations mission in Azerbaijan visited the Karabakh region on the 1st of October, 2023.

In the places where the mission members visited in the city of Khankendi, no damage was done to civilian and public infrastructure, including hospitals, schools, residential buildings, and cultural, and religious sites. According to the information provided to the mission, there have been no complaints from the local residents or other informants about any incidents of violence against the peaceful population after the latest ceasefire. You seem to call the information presented by the United Nations mission in Karabakh into question. According to the opinions of the European Parliament deputies, the exodus of more than 100,000 ethnic Armenians from Karabakh should be considered a violation of international law and human rights. I would like to ask the deputies and the European Parliament who emphasize international law and human rights if they have ever heard the news about the 1 million Azerbaijani refugees who were forcibly displaced from their native lands starting from 1992 to 2020. Deputies who talk about human rights, I ask you, are 1 million Azerbaijani refugees not human beings? Why didn't you adopt resolutions back then? Why didn't you summon meetings of the UN Security Council at that time? The OSCE Minsk Group was established to resolve the conflict, what has it achieved in these 30 years? After the 44-day war in 2020, the Azerbaijani people clearly understood who they were. After all, the members of the OSCE Minsk Group were committed to impartiality and nonpartisanship. France has always supported Armenia's policy of occupation. France poses a real threat to peace in the South Caucasus. As an example, Foreign Minister of France Catherine Colonna held a press conference with her Armenian counterpart Ararat Mirzoyan. She stated that France would sign an agreement allowing the supply of military equipment to Armenia.

The statement indicates that France will sign an agreement allowing the provision of military equipment to Armenia. For 30 years, Russia has been arming Armenia, and now France has pledged to do the same. This means that your foreign policy is not stability in the region, but rather arming the occupying side. If you truly want peace in the South Caucasus, why should France provide weapons to Armenia? Who will these weapons be directed against in the future? Of course, it will be against Azerbaijan. Deputies of the European Parliament note that Armenians expelled from Karabakh faced ethnic cleansing. The responsibility for this lies with the puppet regime that engaged in illegal activities for 30 years, as well as the 100,000 ethnic Armenians you mentioned who supported this regime. If you want to know the truth, among those 100,000 Armenians, there were individuals from every family who participated in the war against Azerbaijan in Karabakh. I can send you pictures of these people. These individuals are still alive today. Armenian terrorists wield firearms, and then they disguise themselves as monks in churches. Armenians exploit religion and churches for terrorist purposes. They give weapons to underage children, telling them that Turks are their enemies, and they force them into armed training. Recently, Armine Harutyunyan, an Armenian-origin model who was an advertisement face for Gucci, announced her joining the VOMA terrorist organization, aiming to take revenge on Azerbaijan for Karabakh. The model has already started training for this purpose.

According to her words, the terrorist group plans to initiate acts of terror and provocation to turn Karabakh into a blood lake for Azerbaijan. One of the terrorists born in Karabakh is Zori Balayan. This separatist has played a significant role in the plight of the Armenian nation in Karabakh. Zori Balayan is a physician and historian by profession. His main activities include falsifying history and committing acts of terror. On July 3, 1994, an explosion between Baku's "Ganjlik" and "28 May" metro stations resulted in the death of 12 people and injury of 42 others. Azer Aslanov, a member of the Sadval organization, known to be involved in the terrorist act, was arrested. During the court proceedings, the accused Aslanov revealed that while he was in Armenian captivity, Zori Balayan had met with him and instructed him to carry out an explosion in the Baku metro. Unfortunately, the realities related to Armenians are regrettable. The resolution states that the European Union and its member states are ready to provide all necessary assistance to Armenia regarding the humanitarian crisis. Strangely, these aids have never been extended to the 1 million Azerbaijani refugees. Why? What's the reason? Does it matter to you which state the refugee belongs to in terms of nationality or religion? Yes, these resolutions indicate that you tolerate discrimination. The frequent use of the term "Christian Armenians" by the deputies speaking during the discussions is accepted as an indicator of discrimination and double standards. Unlike you, Azerbaijan pursues a policy of equal rights and respect for all religions and nations in word and deed.

The historical past, customs and traditions, folklore, and the way of life of the minority peoples, national minorities, and ethnic groups living in Azerbaijan have been well-preserved. Azerbaijan stands at the center of multiculturalism and tolerance.

Over the past 30 years, mosques in Karabakh were destroyed, and inside, pigs were kept. Muslims were insulted, but for some reason, these deputies who talk about human rights remain silent. Why? Because the religious temples that were destroyed belonged to Muslims. This doesn't seem to concern the European Parliament at all. Then you mention that Europe should reconsider its relations with Azerbaijan and it should reduce its dependence on oil and gas. If there is military aggression against Armenia, the European Union calls for a complete halt of Azerbaijan's oil and gas imports. I want to remind the European Parliament that Azerbaijan has never committed military aggression against Armenia. Even Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is Armenia's closest ally, emphasized during the Valday meeting on October 5th that the Armenian government has not compromised over the past 15 years, choosing war every time. This is yet another response regarding military aggression for you. Armenia committed military aggression against Azerbaijani territory, and as a result, Azerbaijan's Karabakh region remained under occupation for 30 years. I recommend the members of the European Parliament who are not aware of this to read the UN Resolutions 822, 853, 874, and 884.

Despite the resolutions stating that Armenian forces must withdraw from the occupied territories of Azerbaijan, these resolutions have remained unimplemented on paper. Armenia has occupied 20% of Azerbaijan's territories for 30 years. This is a real example of military aggression. Furthermore, the European Union calls to reduce its dependency on Azerbaijani oil and gas. If there is military aggression against Armenia, the European Union demands a complete halt to Azerbaijan's oil and gas imports. I would like to mention first that a Strategic Partnership Memorandum was signed between the European Union and Azerbaijan in the energy sector. This memorandum was signed after the Russia-Ukraine war. When you need oil and gas, you don't care if it comes from a Christian or Muslim country, but for some reason, when Azerbaijan liberated its territory from occupation, you remember the Christian identity of the separatist Armenians. Azerbaijan pursues a strong independent economic and political policy and is not dependent on anyone economically. During the pandemic, Azerbaijan sent free vaccines to the countries in need. This information can be found in the documents of the United Nations. If the European Parliament, and the European Union, stopped buying oil and gas from Azerbaijan which was named by them as a strategic partner because of the separatist Armenians, the losing side would be the European Union. The European Parliament wants to impose sanctions on Azerbaijan. What will you gain by imposing sanctions? What reasons will you show? Azerbaijan has liberated its territories from Armenian occupiers; this is Azerbaijan's sovereign right. Armenians left Karabakh themselves, stating that they did not want to live under the Azerbaijani flag and leadership. They stated that they wanted to return under one condition: the separatist regime should regain control over Karabakh. Their main goal is to claim Azerbaijani territories. Defending Armenian separatists who planted 1 million mines in Azerbaijani territory is a grave crime. It would be better if the European Parliament talked about this crime and adopted resolutions against the Armenians. Armenians have given Azerbaijan false mine maps several times through your intermediation and, in return, have taken back prisoners of war. However, 90% of the mine maps they provided have turned out to be false.

To clear its territories from mines, Azerbaijan needs 50 years and 25 billion US dollars, which equals 42.5 billion Azerbaijani manats. International experts have calculated this. Azerbaijan is clearing thousands of hectares of land from mines and rebuilding Karabakh. During 30 years of occupation, Armenians devastated and plundered Azerbaijan's lands, extracted the underground and overground resources,  moved them to Armenia, and sold them. Despite this, Azerbaijan continues restoration work in Karabakh using its resources. Within three years after the liberation of Karabakh, three airports, schools, residential areas, power stations, roads, and bridges have been built and put into operation. The Azerbaijani government has started repatriating one million internally displaced persons to their native lands. Instead of appreciating these efforts, members of the European Parliament have initiated destructive activities against Azerbaijan and adopted resolutions opposing it. Has the European Parliament allocated funds or assisted Azerbaijan for the restoration of Karabakh and the return of one million refugees? Certainly not. However, you declare your readiness to allocate billions for humanitarian aid to occupier Armenia. Then you mention Turkey, criticizing its arming its ally Azerbaijan and condemning its full support for Baku's attacks in 2020 and 2023. Why do you condemn? Because Turkey, over the past 30 years, has provided Azerbaijan with the support and assistance that your OSCE Minsk Group member states did not provide. You highlight Turkey supplying arms to Azerbaijan, but you strangely overlook Russia, another member of the OSCE Minsk Group, arming Armenia for 30 years. In the occupation of Karabakh, all three states of the OSCE Minsk Group - Russia, France, and the United States remained silent and did not dare call Armenia an aggressor. France's Foreign Minister openly declares arming Armenia, but you remain silent about that. Turkey has always stood by Azerbaijan in its just cause. During the 44-day war (from September 27, 2020), Turkey supported and backed Azerbaijan. In 2023, during the anti-terrorism operation on September 19, Turkey supported Azerbaijan's just cause. Turkey is a fraternal state with Azerbaijan; Turkey is an ally of Azerbaijan. We are one nation, two states. Unlike you, Turkey has always been on the side of justice, fairness, and oppressed nations and states. The Azerbaijani people unite around President Ilham Aliyev like a fist, liberate their lands from the occupier, and take pride in him. Europe, America, and indeed the world should be grateful to President Ilham Aliyev, who put an end to the 30-year-long conflict in the South Caucasus. What you did not want to see in 30 years, Ilham Aliyev resolved within 44 days and 24 hours. I do not recommend you impose sanctions on Azerbaijan. Instead, come and learn foreign policy, international relations, and international law from Ilham Aliyev. In the field of foreign policy, Ilham Aliyev is a great school. The time will come when you will teach these lessons as educational materials in universities in Europe. Azerbaijan refused the planned five-party meeting in Granada, Spain, scheduled for October 5th.

Azerbaijan had suggested Turkey's participation in the meeting. However, France and Germany did not allow this. It is clear to everyone that France is not a neutral mediator. Germany currently stands by France. Any format in which France participates can’t be considered acceptable for Azerbaijan.

Official statements from French officials (Defence Minister, Foreign Minister, etc.) with pro-Armenian bias, the visit of the Head of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs to Armenia, and statements about military cooperation and arms supplies have rendered Azerbaijan's participation in this format unnecessary.

If the parties to the conflict are Armenia and Azerbaijan, what business do France and Germany have there? After the meeting, French President Macron commented on relations with Azerbaijan. Macron noted that Azerbaijan did not fulfill its commitment not to use force in Karabakh, which it had pledged in Prague and Chisinau. President Macron knows very well that Azerbaijan never resorts to the use of force; it is Armenia that commits military aggression, and Azerbaijan defends its citizens against this aggression. Azerbaijan expresses its position openly and transparently.

The resolutions adopted by the European Union against Azerbaijan are biased and represent a deeply flawed policy. Azerbaijan advocates for living in the South Caucasus in a peaceful and secure environment. We seek the delimitation and demarcation of borders. We want the prompt signing of a peace treaty. We support the opening of all transportation and communication networks in the region. The resolution adopted by the European Parliament contradicts the 1975 Helsinki Final Act of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe. The ten most important principles and commitments of international law established in Helsinki must be adhered to. Karabakh is Azerbaijan's internal affair, and according to international law, Karabakh is an integral part of Azerbaijan.

Asaf Askar

06.10.2023

Germany