European Parliament calls on EU to end its gas dependency on Baku,  release prisoners and withdraw troops from Armenia`s sovereign  territory

ArmInfo.Today, the European Parliament denounced Azerbaijan's poor human rights record and called on the EU to end its gas dependency on Baku. This was stated on the official  website of the organization.

In the resolution adopted today, MEPs strongly condemn the  Azerbaijani regime's longstanding domestic and extraterritorial  repression of activists, journalists, opposition leaders and others,  including EU nationals, which has noticeably intensified ahead of the  upcoming 29th UN Climate Change Conference (COP29) in Baku from 11 to  22 November.  MEPs argue that Azerbaijan's ongoing human rights  abuses are incompatible with it hosting of the climate conference and  encourage EU leaders such as European Commission President Ursula von  der Leyen to use the gathering as an opportunity to address the  country's poor track record in this field.

The parliament also calls on the government in Baku to cease all  forms of repression in and beyond Azerbaijan, release all persons  arbitrarily detained and drop all politically motivated charges.  The  resolution says Europe's gas dependency on Azerbaijan must end.   Citing Azerbaijan's continuous human rights abuses and fears that  increased gas imports from Azerbaijan to the EU could be compensated  in turn by Baku importing Russian gas, MEPs call for the EU's  dependency on gas exports from Azerbaijan to end. They also ask the  European Commission to suspend the 2022 Memorandum of Understanding  on the Strategic Partnership in the field of energy between the EU  and Azerbaijan.

In addition, the resolution states that any future partnership  agreement between the EU and Azerbaijan must be made conditional on  Baku releasing political prisoners, implementing legal reforms,  improving the overall human rights situation in the country, as well  as demonstrating its genuine readiness to faithfully engage in peace  negotiations with neighboring Armenia following the 2023.Azerbaijani  offensive in Nagorno-Karabakh. 

However, the resolution demands that Azerbaijan must withdraw troops  from Armenia's sovereign territory.

Reaffirming their support for the sovereignty and territorial  integrity of both Azerbaijan and Armenia, MEPs advocate for the  normalization of relations between the two countries and the signing  of a long- awaited peace agreement. They also call for the withdrawal  of all Azerbaijani troops from the entirety of Armenia's sovereign  territory, respect for the relevant decisions of the International  Court of Justice, and the release of the 23 Armenian prisoners of war  detained following Azerbaijan's retaking of the Nagorno- Karabakh  region last year. Parliament calls on the member states to freeze the  export of all military and security equipment to Azerbaijan, while  warning that further Azerbaijani military action against Armenia  would be met by serious consequences.

The resolution was adopted by 453 votes in favor, 31 against with 89  abstentions.