Thursday, March 14 2024 13:43

ArmInfo. The European Parliament has approved a resolution on closer ties between the EU  and Armenia and the need for a peace agreement between Azerbaijan and  Armenia. 

According to a joint motion for the resolution on closer ties between  the EU and Armenia and the need for a peace agreement between  Azerbaijan and Armenia, the European Parliament 

1. Recognises and welcomes the fact that Armenian has strongly  emphasised its desire to enhance and prioritise relations with the  European Union; believes that the European Union should respond  positively and take full advantage of this potential geopolitical  shift and help Armenia anchor itself more strongly in the community  of democracies;

2. Calls for the sustained implementation of the newly agreed  EU-Armenia Partnership Agenda, emphasising the need to actively  pursue and achieve the ambitious joint priorities for cooperation;  believes that a substantial partnership between the EU and Armenia is  a logical step in aligning with Armenia's choice in favour of  democracy, the rule of law, the fight against corruption and respect  for the international rules-based order;

3. Welcomes Armenia's commitment to implementing CEPA and the  progress it has made in implementing the CEPA roadmap; welcomes the  fact that the Armenian Government recognises CEPA as a strategic  blueprint for key reforms in Armenia; encourages the Commission and  the Member States to start working on a roadmap to achieve an  ambitious upgrade to the EU's relations with Armenia; believes that  the experience stemming from the Association Agreements / Deep and  Comprehensive Free Trade Areas with Ukraine, Georgia and the Republic  of Moldova should serve as a good basis, in particular in relation to  a gradual sectoral integration with the single market, which should  bear tangible benefits on a macro and micro scale for Armenia;

4. Reiterates that, pursuant to Article 49 of the Treaty of European  Union, any European state may apply to become a member of the  European Union provided that it adheres to the Copenhagen criteria  and the principles of democracy, respects fundamental freedoms and  human and minority rights and upholds the rule of law; considers  that, should Armenia be interested in applying for candidate status  and continuing on its path of sustained reforms consolidating its  democracy, this could set the stage for a transformative phase in  EU-Armenia relations; calls on the Commission and the Council to  actively support Armenia's desire for increased cooperation with the  EU, not only in the area of economic partnership but also in  political dialogue, people-to-people contacts, sectoral integration  and security cooperation;

5. Supports Armenia in its continuous efforts to implement reforms  and strengthen democracy, the rule of law and good governance;  underscores the important role of civil society in the implementation  of the reforms; calls on Armenia to continue cooperating with the EU  in this regard and calls for the EU to increase support in these  areas, in particular technical support and the exchange of expertise;  encourages Armenia's active engagement in the Eastern Partnership  policy as a means of fostering good neighbourly relations in the  South Caucasus;

6. Recognises that the Russian Federation's influence on the Armenian  economy remains high, encourages Armenia to exert vigilance on  possible EU sanctions circumvention taking place in the country; is  fully aware of the level and diversity of threats that the Russian  Federation might try to use against Armenia to punish it for its  independent political and strategic choices; believes that the EU  needs to be ready to provide rapid assistance to Armenia to mitigate  the negative consequences of any such unfriendly steps;

7. Notes that over the last 10 years, the volume of Armenia-EU  bilateral trade has been increasing; encourages Armenia, the EU and  its Member States, as well as European companies and investors, to  take the necessary steps to further enhance their economic and trade  relations; commends the success of the Economic and Investment Plan  and encourages the EU and Armenia to continue leveraging both public  and private investments to promote sustainable development in  Armenia;

8. Recognises the urgent need to strengthen the cooperation between  the EU and Armenia in the field of security and defence while Armenia  reconsiders its membership of the CSTO; calls for the EU to respond  favourably to Armenia's request for support via the European Peace  Facility and to provide support to the Armenian military; notes the  added value of regular EU-Armenian Political and Security Dialogues,  as an umbrella platform for all security related matters; calls for  the launch of a hybrid threat assessment survey, which will help  Armenia to identify key vulnerabilities and devise targeted  solutions; welcomes the actions undertaken by several Member States  to provide defensive military support to Armenia and urges the Member  States to consider similar initiatives;

9. Welcomes Armenia's decision to suspend its participation in the  CSTO, following its failure to assist Armenia against military  aggression, and to seek a more reliable security architecture;  supports Armenia's official request for the Russian Federation to  withdraw its Federal Security Service border guards from its  international airport;

10. Recognises the untapped potential of people-to-people contacts  between the EU and Armenia; calls for the progress achieved by  Armenia in implementing the agreements on visa facilitation and  readmission to be acknowledged; believes that it is time to launch a  visa liberalisation dialogue with Armenia;

11. Welcomes the conclusion of the agreement between the EU and the  Republic of Armenia, which will enable the transfer of operational  personal data between Eurojust and Armenia's competent authorities as  part of judicial cooperation in criminal matters; underlines the  importance of continuing to deepen the cooperation between the EU and  Armenia in fighting crime and terrorism and protecting the security  of the Union for mutual benefit;

12. Expresses its support for the activities of EUMA and underscores  the important role it plays; calls for its mandate to be extended  beyond 2025 and its staffing to be further increased; reiterates its  disappointment at Azerbaijan's refusal to allow the mission to  operate on its side of the border and the repeated smear campaigns  originating from Azerbaijan against EUMA; deplores the fact that  Russian border guards stationed in Armenia blocked EUMA from reaching  the village of Nerkin Hand where four Armenian soldiers were recently  killed at the hands of Azerbaijan on 13 February 2024, following the  alleged injury of an Azerbaijani soldier; condemns the inflammatory  rhetoric deployed by Azerbaijani officials against the EU, its Member  States, EUMA and the Armenian authorities;

13. Underscores that the EU should be ready to impose sanctions on  any individuals and entities that threaten the sovereignty,  independence and territorial integrity of Armenia;

14. Calls on Azerbaijan to genuinely engage in a comprehensive and  transparent dialogue with the Karabakh Armenians to ensure respect  for their rights and guarantee their security, including their right  to return to and live in their homes in dignity and safety under  international presence, to access their land and property rights, to  maintain their distinct identity and fully enjoy their civic,  cultural, social and religious rights; calls on Azerbaijan to release  and commit to broad amnesty for all the inhabitants of Nagorno  Karabakh and Armenia who continue to be in Azerbaijani custody; calls  for the full, immediate and effective implementation of all the ICJ  orders in the case on the Application of the International Convention  on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (Armenia v  Azerbaijan);

15. Reiterates its condemnation of the Azerbaijani military  incursions into the internationally recognised territory of Armenia  and ongoing occupation of parts of it; reiterates its demand for the  withdrawal of Azerbaijan's troops from the entirety of the sovereign  territory of Armenia; rejects and expresses its grave concern  regarding the irredentist and inflammatory statements made by the  Azerbaijani President and other Azerbaijani officials threatening the  territorial integrity and sovereignty of Armenia, including those in  connection with demanding the exterritorial corridor linking  Azerbaijan to its exclave of Nakhchivan; warns Azerbaijan against any  potential military adventurism against Armenia proper; highlights  that Azerbaijan's connectivity issues with its exclave of Nakhchivan  should be resolved with full respect for the sovereignty and  territorial integrity of Armenia;

16. Reiterates the European Union's unequivocal support for the  sovereignty, territorial integrity and inviolability of the borders  of Armenia; strongly supports the normalisation of relations between  Armenia and Azerbaijan based on the principles of mutual recognition  of territorial integrity and inviolability of borders based on the  1991 Almaty Declaration, border delimitation based on relevant USSR  General Staff maps that have been provided to both sides, and the  unblocking of regional communication based on respect for the  sovereignty and jurisdiction of both countries, on the basis of  reciprocity and equality;

17. Expresses its support for the resumption of talks between Armenia  and Azerbaijan on all pending issues, with the aim of concluding a  peace treaty, and calls on both parties to remain fully committed to  a lasting and peaceful settlement of the long-standing dispute,  through dialogue and negotiations; believes that this agreement needs  to be negotiated in good faith and be based on the recognition of  sovereignty, territorial integrity and non-use of force; calls for a  stronger EU commitment to continue facilitating a comprehensive,  sustainable peace for the benefit of all the people of the region;  calls on Trkiye and other allies of Azerbaijan to refrain from  fuelling bellicose behaviour from Baku and to exert their influence  in favour of a swift conclusion to the peace negotiations;

18. Strongly disagrees with the tone of some recent statements by  leaders of the Commission and the European Council congratulating  President Aliyev for his re-election without mentioning the absence  of democracy in Azerbaijan and misleadingly qualifying Azerbaijan as  a reliable partner; affirms that these statements do not reflect the  position of the European Union and should never have been made in the  light of the ethnic cleansing in Nagorno-Karabakh by Azerbaijan;  urges the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of  the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and the European  External Action Service to continue the negotiations for a renewed  partnership agreement conditionally, if Azerbaijan has demonstrated  its genuine readiness to respect the rights and security concerns of  the Karabakh Armenians and has contributed to substantial progress  towards a comprehensive and sustainable peace agreement with Armenia;

19. Expresses serious concern about the failure to safeguard the  cultural, religious and historical heritage of the Armenian  population of Nagorno-Karabakh, in violation of the ICJ Order of 7  December 2021; condemns all cases of the destruction, vandalism and  desecration of all sites recalling the centuries-long Armenian  presence in Nagorno-Karabakh; calls on the Azerbaijani authorities to  preserve, protect and promote the rich and diverse heritage of the  region; urges UNESCO to take immediate action to preserve and protect  Armenian cultural heritage at risk in Nagorno-Karabakh; calls for the  cooperation between Armenia and the EU to be reinforced, concerning  the monitoring of the systematic destruction of Armenian cultural  heritage (churches, monasteries, cemeteries, monuments, palaces,  etc.) by Azerbaijan, most notably through the involvement of the EU  Satellite Centre;

20. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the  Council, the Commission, the Vice-President of the Commission / High  Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy,  the President, Government and Parliament of the Republic of Armenia  and the President, Government and Parliament of the Republic of  Azerbaijan, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe,  the United Nations and the Council of Europe.