Day: September 21, 2023
YEREVAN (Azatutyun.am)—European Council President Charles Michel has criticized Azerbaijan’s latest military offensive in Nagorno-Karabakh and warned Baku against attacking Armenia as well, a senior European Union official said on Thursday.
In a phone call late on Wednesday, Michel also urged Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev to “urgently provide credible guarantees for the rights and security of Karabakh Armenians.”
“President Michel expressed a very stark disappointment at the use of force and stressed the need for the ceasefire to hold,” the official told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service.
The official said Michel told Aliyev that the Azerbaijani military operation caused a “negative resonance at the international level, including in the EU where there were discussions this morning on the different options in terms of response.”
“The means Baku used are simply not acceptable,” Michel said, according to him.
“He also stressed that any intention to use force against Armenia would be unacceptable,” added the official.
In his words, Aliyev assured Michel that Azerbaijan has no territorial claims to Armenia, reaffirming mutual recognition of each other’s territorial integrity agreed during talks with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian hosted by Michel earlier this year.
The phone conversation took place hours after Russian peacekeepers brokered a fresh ceasefire to stop the fighting that displaced much of Karabakh’s ethnic Armenian population. As part of that deal, Karabakh agreed to disband and disarm its armed forces, essentially paving the way for the restoration of full Azerbaijani control over the region. Few of its residents are expected to stay in Karabakh in that case.
The EU official said Michel also urged Baku to declare “amnesty” for the Karabakh Armenians. “For those who wish to leave Nagorno-Karabakh, conditions must be put in place for a safe dignified and voluntary exit,” he quoted the EU leader as saying.
“Azerbaijan must ensure that ethnic Armenians will be respected and there is a future for them in Azerbaijan. A role for the international community is needed to ensure safety,” the official said.
He added that Aliyev rejected such a role while pledging to “consider amnesty for those who lay their arms down.”