Your trusted source

Following the examples of the French Senate and the Dutch Parliament, the Belgian legislature is poised to adopt a resolution condemning Azerbaijan’s military aggression against the Armenian population of Artsakh, which took place with the support of the Turkish authorities and foreign mercenaries.

The resolution also condemns Azerbaijan’s deliberate attacks on civilians, the use of cluster munitions and phosphorous bombs, Asbarez reported. 

The Armenian National Committee of Belgium on Wednesday welcomed the adoption of the resolution the by the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Belgian Federal Parliament, which is scheduled to discuss the measure in an upcoming plenary session.

The resolution explicitly demands that Azerbaijan, as well as the Turkish forces and mercenaries supporting it, withdraw their troops from the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, which was conquered by force. The preamble to the resolution also speaks about the right of the Armenian people of Artsakh to self-determination and non-use of force as basic principles of the OSCE Minsk Group, emphasizing that these principles have been violated by Azerbaijan.

As the statement signed on November 9 does not mention the status of Artsakh, the Belgian parliament resolution calls on the government to support the immediate resumption of talks under the auspices of the OSCE Minsk Group, which will decide on the final status of Nagorno-Karabakh, in particular its self-determination right:

After the adoption of the resolution in the plenary session, the Belgian government will have the task of demanding that Turkey stop its military intervention in the Karabakh conflict and immediately end its destabilizing position in the South Caucasus. Turkey must stop promoting the transfer of Syrian mercenaries, jihadists, their deployment in Nagorno-Karabakh, and their immediate deportation from the region. According to the resolution, any intervention by Turkey in the mission monitoring the ceasefire will be considered dangerous for the security of the local population. Any such mission should be undertaken by the OSCE Minsk Group.

The resolution also addresses one of the most important issues in Armenia after the ceasefire, namely the return of prisoners of war. The proposed resolution strongly condemns the killing of prisoners of war, and demands that those who commit war crimes be prosecuted and punished. The resolution calls for the immediate sending of international observers to gather evidence of war crimes, including the torture and murder of prisoners of war.

The European Armenian Federation for Justice and Democracy and the ANC of Belgium urged the members of the Belgian Federal Parliament to adopt the resolution during the forthcoming plenary session, ensuring that they pursue the provisions enacted by the government as soon as possible.