EU is not a military alliance:  German MP on Brussels` possible  assistance to Yerevan in event of aggression

ArmInfo. Member of the German Bundestag, head of the Commission on Foreign Relations Michael  Roth will visit the Syunik region of Armenia tomorrow. The MP himself announced this on October 23 during a press conference in Yerevan.

He noted that today he had already held meetings in the Armenian  Parliament, with the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia, with  representatives of civil society, and tomorrow he intends to go to  the south of the Republic of Armenia. "The purpose of my visit is to  express solidarity with democratic Armenia and send a message to the  authoritarian regime in Azerbaijan that there is no alternative to  peace in this region, and we will not tolerate any military decisions  that would impede the development of this region," Roth said.

At the same time, he emphasized that the use of military force  against ethnic Armenians in Nagorno- Karabakh is, of course, a gross  violation of international law, as well as a violation of the beliefs  and principles that they harbor regarding international law. "And we  strictly condemn this method of action," the deputy said.

At the same time, Roth believes that the policy of equidistant  approach that the West pursued in relation to the young democracy of  Armenia and rich, authoritarian Azerbaijan has failed. Therefore,  according to the deputy, it is necessary to rethink this policy and  form a clear differentiated approach to Armenia and Azerbaijan.

"If Azerbaijan does not stop its aggressive and provocative policy,  then sanctions will undoubtedly be applied against the Azerbaijani  regime, which are now on the table, that is, at the development  stage.  Germany will also continue to actively promote the peace  process," he said.

Clarifying about the sanctions, whether there is already a project  and if under what conditions they will be applied, Roth explained  that he did not mean that the sanctions have already been prepared  and are ready to be applied. "My thought was that I would do  everything to ensure that they ended up on table and were applied. In  any case, we will not allow the intensification of energy cooperation  between the EU and Azerbaijan. Authoritarian countries understand  only one language, and that is why it is necessary to emphasize what  the consequences will be if military force is used," the deputy said.

In response to the journalist's remark that Azerbaijan got away with  aggression against Artsakh and failure to fulfill its obligations in  negotiations with Armenia, Roth noted that this was not so and  assured that there were consequences. "One of these consequences is  that Azerbaijan has lost international trust and is no longer seen as  a reliable partner. As for our actions, we must do everything to  ensure that a long-term peace is achieved at the negotiating table,  which guarantees the territorial integrity of Armenia," - said the  politician.

At the same time, he admitted that despite the fact that Armenia has  repeatedly signaled over the past months about impending aggression  against Nagorno-Karabakh, however, the collective West and the  international community did not heed these calls, which resulted in  the recent events.  When asked to clarify what kind of sanctions he  means, Roth explained that they cannot be adopted at the national  level; there must be a collective consent of all EU countries.  "Unfortunately, there is no consensus within the EU on this issue  yet. As a deputy, I will work to convince the EU to work towards  preventing the expansion of energy cooperation with Azerbaijan. In  addition, there is also the possibility of applying sanctions against  individual persons in Azerbaijan. But one thing is certain, there  will be no previous attitude towards Azerbaijan," Roth assured.

At the same time, the politician avoided a clear answer to the  question whether Brussels will stand next o Yerevan in the event of  aggression, taking into account the hopes that Armenia pins on the  EU. Roth noted that, in his impression, Armenia and Armenian society  are trying to get rid of Russian dependence.  According to him, this  is expressed not only in the speeches of the Prime Minister of the  Republic of Armenia, but also in the position of citizens who see  themselves as part of Europe. "I have not met a single Armenian in  Armenia who would like to live the way people live in dictatorial  Russia. I have met those who wanted to live freely and with dignity  as in Europe. And I am working to ensure that the EU lends a hand to  Armenia in its aspirations ", although I understand that this is a  difficult path," the politician said, adding that no one is obliged  to follow the path of European integration, this happens on a  voluntary basis.

When asked again what the EU is ready to do in the event of  aggression against Armenia, Roth urged not to have any illusions. "I  would like there to be no misunderstanding: the European Union is not  a military union. And our assistance to Armenia is carried out in the  humanitarian, economic, political and social spheres, sometimes  through military assistance, but this process should not be perceived  as an automated process. We are naturally working to prevent further  military aggression," Roth added.  The Bundestag deputy also  expressed support for the EU civilian mission in the Republic of  Armenia and advocated its expansion for the benefit of the security  of the Republic of Armenia and the Armenian people.