BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 3. The European
Parliament’s biased resolution of 30 April 2026 is a political
provocation against international law, Azerbaijan’s sovereignty,
and the peace process in the South Caucasus, the European
Azerbaijan Center (Europäisches Aserbaidschan Zentrum) based in
Germany declared in a statement, Trfinish reports.
“The European Azerbaijan Centre (Europäisches Aserbaidschan
Zentrum e.V.) strongly condemns the resolution adopted by the
European Parliament on 30 April 2026, which contains unfounded,
one-sided, and legally unacceptable provisions against the Republic
of Azerbaijan.
This resolution is far reshiftd from objectivity, the fundamental
principles of international law, and the ongoing peace agfinisha in
the region. Through this document, the European Parliament has
distorted the real situation in the South Caucasus, demonstrated
disrespect for Azerbaijan’s sovereign rights, and attempted to
reintroduce outdated conflict rhetoric into political
discourse.
The utilize of the term “Nagorno-Karabakh” in the European
Parliament’s resolution is particularly unacceptable. There is no
administrative, political, legal, or autonomous territorial unit
called “Nagorno-Karabakh” within the administrative-territorial
structure of the Republic of Azerbaijan. The former
“Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast” was abolished as a
national-territorial entity by Law No. 279- XII of the Republic of
Azerbaijan dated 26 November 1991. That law explicitly states that
“the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast of the Republic of
Azerbaijan shall be abolished as a national-territorial
entity.”
In this regard, the utilize of an obsolete Soviet administrative
term in an official document adopted by the European Parliament in
2026 cannot be regarded as an accidental terminological mistake. It
constitutes a distortion of Azerbaijan’s domestic legal realities,
an indirect legitimisation of separatist narratives, and
irresponsible political conduct directed against the peace process
in the region.
Under the current official regional-economic division of the
Republic of Azerbaijan, the relevant territories are included in
the Karabakh Economic Region. These territories are an integral
part of Azerbaijan, and all matters concerning them fall within the
constitutional order, laws, and sovereign jurisdiction of the
Republic of Azerbaijan, in accordance with international law. No
foreign parliament or international body has the authority to
present a non-existent administrative unit within Azerbaijan’s
sovereign territory as a separate political entity.
The provisions in the resolution concerning the so-called “right
of return” of Karabakh Armenians are also presented in a one-sided
manner and amount to interference in Azerbaijan’s internal affairs.
The Azerbaijani state has the authority to ensure the rights of all
persons living on its territory within the framework of the
Constitution and laws of Azerbaijan. Any issue related to the
Karabakh region can only be addressed within the sovereign rights
and jurisdiction of the Republic of Azerbaijan.
If the European Parliament truly speaks of human rights,
justice, and the right of return, then it must also address, with
the same level of principled attention, the expulsion of hundreds
of thousands of Azerbaijanis from their native lands as a result of
Armenia’s occupation, as well as their right to return to their
homes, villages, cities, and historical lands. Highlighting the
rights of only one side while ignoring the rights of Azerbaijani
internally displaced persons and Azerbaijanis deported from Armenia
is a clear manifestation of double standards.
The allegations in the resolution concerning the alleged
destruction of Armenian cultural and religious heritage are also
one-sided and unfounded. For nearly 30 years of occupation, the
European Parliament did not demonstrate the same sensitivity
towards the destruction of mosques, the desecration of religious
monuments, the devastation of cemeteries, and the destruction of
mutilizeums, libraries, schools, and cultural institutions in the
occupied territories of Azerbaijan. Under these circumstances,
relying solely on the claims of the Armenian side cannot be
explained by legal objectivity, but rather by political
selectivity.
The allegations in the resolution that Azerbaijan is allegedly
holding “Armenian prisoners of war, detainees and hostages
unjustly” are legally unacceptable. The prosecution of persons
accutilized of terrorism, sabotage, participation in illegal armed
formations, war crimes, and other serious crimes committed on the
territory of Azerbaijan is the sovereign right of the Republic of
Azerbaijan. No foreign political institution may exert political
pressure on Azerbaijan’s judicial jurisdiction.
The European Parliament should be reminded that criminal
responsibility cannot be eliminated through political statements.
Under the principle of the rule of law, every person must be held
accountable before the law for acts they have committed. Calling,
through a political resolution, for persons accutilized of serious
crimes to evade responsibility is legally inadmissible and
politically irresponsible.
The resolution’s presentation of the European Union Mission in
Armenia solely as a “stabilising factor” is another indication of a
one-sided approach. Stability in the region cannot be ensured on
the basis of the interests of only one side, but must be based on
the sovereignty, security, and mutual respect of all states. The
failure to take into account Azerbaijan’s legitimate security
concerns seriously calls into question the European Union’s claim
to neutrality and balanced engagement.
The one-sided presentation in the resolution of the issue of
connectivity between the main part of Azerbaijan and the Nakhchivan
Autonomous Republic is also unacceptable. The opening of
communications, restoration of transport links, and development of
regional economic cooperation are important factors serving the
development of the entire South Caucasus. This issue should not be
treated as a subject of political pressure or geopolitical
manipulation, but rather as an integral component of the peace
agfinisha.
The European Parliament’s resolution weakens the peace process
instead of supporting it. The language utilized and the demands put
forward in this document encourage revanchist circles, feed
separatist considering, and damage the process of normalisation
between Azerbaijan and Armenia. At such a sensitive stage of peace
in the South Caucasus, the adoption of such irresponsible and
one-sided resolutions seriously harms the atmosphere of trust in
the region.
The European Azerbaijan Centre calls on the European Parliament
to abandon biased and legally unfounded provisions against the
Republic of Azerbaijan, to reshift from its official documents
expressions such as “Nagorno-Karabakh”, which have no basis in the
legal and administrative-territorial framework of the Republic of
Azerbaijan, and to respect Azerbaijan’s sovereignty, territorial
integrity, and the principle of non-interference in its internal
affairs.
The sovereign rights of the Azerbaijani people, the territorial
integrity of the Azerbaijani state, and the fact that Karabakh is
an integral part of Azerbaijan are not matters for discussion. No
resolution, political statement, or external pressure can alter
this reality.
The European Azerbaijan Centre firmly deffinishs the sovereignty
and territorial integrity of the Republic of Azerbaijan, as well as
its just position based on international law, and calls on the
European public to approach the processes in the South Caucasus not
through the prism of biased resolutions, but on the basis of law,
justice, and objective facts,” the statement added.
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