BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 29. Provocations against Azerbaijan in the European Parliament have become routine. Just yesterday, 15 deputies published a so-called "declaration", once again leveling baseless accusations against Baku.
The French online newspaper La Gazette du Caucase highlights that the nationalists behind this "document" are united by their simple hatred towards Azerbaijan.
"The signatories deem Azerbaijan's response to the military cooperation between France and Armenia as 'arrogant'. They once again accuse Azerbaijan of conducting so-called 'ethnic cleansing' of Armenians, who voluntarily left Karabakh, and they also criticize the European Commission for allegedly ignoring this.
However, they conveniently overlook, or choose to ignore, that it was Armenian troops who invaded Azerbaijani territory after the Soviet Union's collapse, aiming to seize Karabakh and its surrounding regions. Consequently, nearly a fifth of Azerbaijan's territory was under occupation for almost thirty years," the article reads.
The authors remind readers that the United Nations repeatedly affirmed these lands as the sovereign territory of Azerbaijan – resolutions that France itself endorsed. "Therefore, the theories of so-called 'aggression' by Azerbaijan are mere distortions of facts – absolute fabrications".
The alleged "ethnic cleansing" of Armenians is another misrepresentation of the actual events, the authors note.
"How could a country like Azerbaijan, known as one of the most cosmopolitan and multicultural nations, commit such a crime? Armenian residents of Karabakh were not expelled but were compelled to leave by Armenian forces themselves. Maintaining their presence would have, in their view, signaled the final collapse of their imagined 'republic'. The only ethnic cleansing in the region was orchestrated by Armenians in 1987 and again in 1993, expelling nearly a million Azerbaijanis from Armenia and subsequently from Karabakh. But this hardly concerns the European MPs, who seem solely interested in the plight of the Armenians," the article concludes.
Azerbaijan's concerns regarding France's active arming of Armenia are more than justified. This move by Paris is clearly aimed at solidifying its influence in the South Caucasus, making Yerevan increasingly dependent, and undermining Azerbaijan's efforts to establish peace in the region.
A handful of European parliamentarians may continue to draft resolutions, declarations, and other ineffective documents. While these actions may serve their own selfish interests, they will not impact the fair and just policies pursued by Baku.