MEP Eleni Theocharous condemns Azerbaijan’s military actions against Karabakh and calls for international response
In an exclusive interview with Nvard Chalikyan from Panorama.am Member of the European Parliament Eleni Theocharous has made the following statement regarding Azerbaijan’s recent aggression against the Nagorno Karabakh Republic.
“I condemn the recent heinous provocative military actions along the borders of Nagorno-Karabakh and Azerbaijan, which were organized and conducted by the government of Azerbaijan, against the people of Nagorno-Karabakh.
The all-out attack by the Azerbaijani army has undermined the on-going efforts regarding a peace initiative by the OSCE Minsk Group.
The Armenians have the legal, political and ethical duty to defend Nagorno-Karabakh and the people living there.
I would like to express my condolences to the victims’ families of the attacks against the Armenian civilian population, which resulted in casualties, that included children too.
I commit myself to work for the peaceful resolution of the conflict, safeguarding and respecting democratic values and principles of human rights.
The large-scale attacks against Nagorno-Karabakh breached the cease-fire agreement of 1994 and put the stability and peace of the greater Caucasus region at a high risk.
The international community should not turn a blind eye to the continuing violations of ceasefire anymore. It has the ethical obligation to intervene immediately, in order to put an end to the bloody clashes along the frontiers of Nagorno-Karabakh and Azerbaijan.
These diplomatic efforts should be based on the legal and political principle of “status quo ante”. This is a political and legal recipe which can lead to a constructive and effective diplomatic outcome.
The international community, and particularly the EU, bear their own political and legal responsibilities, because they never intensified their efforts towards a comprehensive and democratic solution, in line with the right of self-determination.
An unresolved and “orphaned” dormant conflict turned into a nightmare overnight, with catastrophic consequences.
The international community does not have time to lose any more. We should all work constructively to prevent the escalation of the crisis and we should all intensify our efforts to stop the conflict and the loss of human life.
At the same time we should help Azerbaijan to speed up its reforms, in order to establish a democratic political society which will be to the benefit of its citizens. The establishment of a democratic political society will constitute one of the main parameters for finding a viable solution to the problem of Nagorno-Karabakh.”
MEP Eleni Theocharous
By Nvard Chalikyan