European Parliament's resolution undermines achievement of sustainable peace

By MP Mazahir Afandiyev

Presently, Azerbaijan is resolutely defending its position on all major platforms by pursuing a multi-vectored foreign policy and declaring to the world community the new realities that have emerged.

Azerbaijan created new realities in the South Caucasus following the Second Karabakh-Patriotic War. With the great Victory, our country demonstrated the United Nations Organization's multi-year activity on international platforms and ensured the implementation of the four known resolutions. As a result, the country was able to create a completely new atmosphere in both the region and global politics.

Today, we can see that, in light of the post-war challenges, Azerbaijan is applying a new approach to some issues in its 30-year foreign policy. President Ilham Aliyev expresses his decisive position toward peace, security, and a prosperous future on all platforms, including bilateral and multilateral meetings, in order to protect the national interests of the Azerbaijani people.

However, some forces continue to play devious games, utilizing the international tribune to express a biased and untruthful attitude toward our country, severely undermining the process of ensuring peace in the South Caucasus.

It is clear that the unfair resolution adopted by the European Parliament in a special procedure on January 19, 2023, discussing the humanitarian consequences of the so-called blockade of the mountainous part of Karabakh, contains an insincere, even hypocritical position that contradicts norms and principles of international law.

It should be noted that the major political parties represented in the European Parliament did not support the mentioned resolution and did not vote on it. This resolution, passed at the behest of lobbyist parliamentary groups by some of Europe's parliamentarians and our inept colleagues, not only harms the reputation of the European Parliament but also calls into question Azerbaijan-European Union relations that have been developing in recent years and the trust in the European Union in peace negotiations. As a result, the provision of peace and tranquility, sustainable political and economic development, and the conduct of international dialogue in the region have taken a significant hit.

This resolution was clearly met with regret by the Azerbaijani Parliament, and it infuriated each of us. In this regard, I believe that the Statement adopted by the members of the Committee on Foreign Relations and Inter-Parliamentary Relations and the Azerbaijani members of the EU-Azerbaijan Parliamentary Cooperation Committee of the Milli Majlis of the Republic of Azerbaijan reflects the views of the entire Milli Majlis (Azerbaijani Parliament) and demonstrates that Azerbaijan has become the world's messenger of peace and development.