Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has claimed the EU Parliament wants to ‘sabotage’ the peace process with Armenia in his video address to the European Political Community (EPC) summit being held in Yerevan. The comments came just days after Azerbaijan severed ties with the EU Parliament following a resolution the body passed that called for the right of return for Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians and the release of Armenian prisoners held by Azerbaijan.
Representatives of about 50 countries attended the summit in person on Monday, but Aliyev’s address was given remotely via video. In his opening remarks, Aliyev said he was inviting the EPC members to Azerbaijan in 2028.
‘By the way, Armenia also supported our candidacy [to host the event]. This is a clear indication that peace between Azerbaijan and Armenia is a reality’, he added.
After more comments about the successes of the peace process, Aliyev said ‘not all European institutions demonstrate the same approach’ taken by the administration of US President Donald Trump.
‘Now, regarding the European Parliament, this body, instead of supporting the peace process, prefers to sabotage it’, he said.
‘Instead of addressing fundamental problems of some member states, such as xenophobia, Islamophobia, antisemitism, migration, competitiveness, and homelessness, the European Parliament targets Azerbaijan, spreading slander and lies’.
In conclusion, Aliyev said he ‘would like to congratulate Prime Minister [Nikol] Pashinyan on the EPC Summit in Armenia and say that, despite all the efforts of those who want to hinder the process, Azerbaijan is committed to the peace agenda, and the remarks of my Armenian colleague clearly demonstrate that’.
Nate Ostiller
