EU Parliament denounces 'ethnic cleansing' in Nagorno-Karabakh

Since Azerbaijan's lightning offensive last month, almost all of the 120,000 ethnic Armenian residents have fled the breakaway region

i24NEWS
i24NEWS
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Armenian refugees wait in a square of Goris city centre on September 29, 2023 before being evacuated in various Armenian cities, as the exodus from the Nagorno-Karabakh ethnic Armenian enclave following its fall to Azerbaijani forces continued unabated.
Armenian refugees wait in a square of Goris city centre on September 29, 2023 before being evacuated in various Armenian cities, as the exodus from the Nagorno-Karabakh ethnic Armenian enclave following its fall to Azerbaijani forces continued unabated.ALAIN JOCARD / AFP

The European Parliament has accused Azerbaijan of conducting "ethnic cleansing" against the Armenian population in Nagorno-Karabakh, and it has called on the European Union (EU) to impose sanctions on Baku. 

Since Azerbaijan's lightning offensive last month, almost all of the 120,000 ethnic Armenian residents have fled the breakaway region.

EU lawmakers have approved a resolution on Thursday characterizing the situation as "ethnic cleansing" and strongly condemning threats and violence by Azerbaijani troops. They have urged the 27 EU member states to implement targeted sanctions against individuals in the Azerbaijani government due to the assault and alleged human rights violations in Nagorno-Karabakh.

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Additionally, they have called for a reduction in the EU's dependency on gas exports from Azerbaijan and have requested a review of Brussels' relations with the country.

The resolution, approved by 491 legislators to nine, does not compel the EU to take immediate action. However, this development is expected to cause displeasure in Baku, which has vigorously denied allegations of ethnic cleansing and has encouraged ethnic Armenians to reintegrate into Azerbaijan.

SIRANUSH ADAMYAN / AFP
Karabakh sit in a long traffic jam of vehicles along the Lachin corridor on September 28, 2023. Azerbaijan on September 28, 2023 said it wanted ethnic Armenians to remain in Nagorno-Karabakh after its lightning offensive crushed the rebel region's independence bid.SIRANUSH ADAMYAN / AFP

European diplomats have indicated that sanctions against Azerbaijan are not currently being considered, and any action would likely depend on the situation's further deterioration. 

The EU has been increasing its natural gas imports from Azerbaijan as part of its efforts to reduce reliance on Russian gas following Moscow's invasion of Ukraine. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen signed a "strategic partnership" agreement with Baku last year with the goal of more than doubling gas imports by 2027.

Karen MINASYAN / AFP
Soldiers of the Russian peacekeeping force man a checkpoint outside the town of Shusha, in the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region of AzerbaijanKaren MINASYAN / AFP

In September, following a 24-hour offensive by Azerbaijani forces, the self-proclaimed republic of Nagorno-Karabakh announced its dissolution, effective on January 1, 2024. This mountainous region, primarily inhabited by Armenians who consider it part of their ancestral land, was historically part of Azerbaijan since the fall of the Russian Empire. 

It declared independence unilaterally with Armenia's support when the Soviet Union disintegrated in 1991. 

Nagorno-Karabakh separatists, backed by Yerevan, resisted Baku for three decades, particularly during the first Karabakh war from 1988 to 1994 and the second war in 2020. However, the international community has never recognized the self-proclaimed republic.

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