Azerbaijanophob MEP who lobbied Armenia caught on huge bribes
What goes around, comes around

ANALYTICS  12 December 2022 - 10:50

On December 9, Belgian news agency AMNA reported about the detention of the Vice-Speaker of the European Parliament, Eva Kaili on the basis of the Belgian Federal Prosecutor's Office sanctions in the case of alleged bribery of Qatari officials in connection with the current FIFA World Cup. The deputy MEP has already reportedly been expelled from the Greek PASOK party by its chairman Nikos Androulakis.

Agence France-Presse reported that the Belgian authorities launched an investigation against European officials due to suspicions that a Persian Gulf country influenced the financial and political decisions of the European Parliament by paying substantial sums of money or offering gifts to third parties holding political or strategic positions. In turn, the Belgian portal Knack, as well as France 24, confirmed that the case concerns Qatar, where the FIFA World Cup is taking place.

Earlier, the newspaper France Soir informed that the police conducted 14 searches in various communes of Brussels. According to its information, the investigation was conducted in July of this year. Suspects are accused of receiving bribes from the Qatari side and trying to influence the policy of the European Union, in particular, the position of other members of the European Parliament on the eve of the World Cup. The Belgian Prosecutor General's Office issued a statement confirming the anti-corruption operation linked to Qatar but left no comment on all the rest of the newspaper's information, including the connection of the investigation with the 2022 World Cup. The prosecutor's office also confirmed the arrest of four people of Italian origin, without disclosing their names. Belgian newspaper De Standaard wrote that among the detainees was an Italian socialist and former member of the European Parliament (from 2004 to 2019) Antonio Panzeri, from whom €500,000 in cash were confiscated, and that in total €600,000 were seized from various people as a result of the searches.

Meanwhile, the facts of corruption and bribery in the European Parliament are not a sensation; rather, it is a common practice, which is mostly resorted to by high-ranking European officials, including promoting the interests of the influential Armenian lobby. In this regard, it is worth noting that Eva Kaili is quite well-known among other European parliamentarians for her long-standing and ardent pro-Armenian stance and open hatred of Azerbaijanis and Turks.

Here is one of many examples that confirm such a belief. In October 2020, a Greek member of the European Parliament Eva Kaili submitted a request to the European Union to abolish the Schengen visa for Azerbaijanis holding diplomatic passports. At the time, the deputy called for "an EU security assessment in light of Azerbaijan's attempted 'invasion' of Karabakh and the perceived possibility of increased illegal migration flows from the conflict zone into the EU," demanding to provide the European Parliament with a full report and information.

Moreover, Kaili called for practical support for Armenia, citing that the country is allegedly "under threat of a military attack backed by Türkiye". Kaili's provocative statement claimed that "Azerbaijan is allegedly waging an unholy war against Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh [Karabakh region of Azerbaijan], violating the 1994 cease-fire agreement and ignoring the international community's calls for dialogue".

There's more. Kylie has repeatedly spoken in support of Armenia, showing activity in the European Parliament in the adoption of decisions and resolutions of anti-Azerbaijani persuasion. By the way, the Euro-corruptionist was "especially active" during the September events provoked by the Armenian side on the border with Azerbaijan. Then her name was included in the list of 10 MEPs who sent a letter to EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell to "adopt urgent measures for protecting Armenia from Azerbaijani aggression".

According to Armenpress, the letter stated that "the ungrounded 'aggression' against the sovereign territory of Armenia since September 13, 2022, is another blatant violation of the UN Charter, Helsinki Final Act and the trilateral statement of November 9, 2020, by Azerbaijan". Besides Kaili, among the deputies who addressed Borrell were Emmanuel Francos, Lars Patrick Berg, Beata Kempa, Costas Mavrides, and other members of the European Parliament, also known for their prejudiced attitude towards Azerbaijan.

The fact that Armenian lobbyists are crooked is not news. On the other hand, there is no definitive confirmation of the former TV host's possible Armenian ancestry, which could justify her selfless love for the "long-suffering". Kaili's father was born in Istanbul, and her mother in Greece, which suggests the corrupt woman was subsidized by the Armenian lobby. Eva was elected to the Thessaloniki City Council for the first time at the age of 24 and was the youngest deputy ever to be elected to the National Security Committee of the Greek Parliament.

Therefore, taking into account the charges brought against the deputy speaker of the European Parliament, it is not surprising that Baku often puts forward justified claims against this institution. Thus, on July 19, 2022, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, while receiving a delegation headed by the Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Relations of the European Parliament David McAllister, criticized in his speech the anti-Azerbaijani position of some members of the European Parliament, calling it unfounded. "We cannot understand the actions of the European Parliament. In fact, the European Parliament is much more aggressive against Azerbaijan than the Armenian parliament. Sometimes it seems that these resolutions are passed by the Armenian parliament, or perhaps some Armenian lobby groups have a certain influence on them. Otherwise, it is very hard to understand it. When I said I was surprised, I meant exactly that. Unfortunately, many European parliamentarians have unjustifiably attacked us. If the European Parliament has decided to choose this way, then it is their choice," said the head of state.

By the way, at that meeting, President Aliyev said he could not even remember the number of anti-Azerbaijani resolutions adopted by the European Parliament at different times. We are talking, perhaps, about more than 10 resolutions, including the one on the alleged "destruction" by the Azerbaijani side of the Armenian cultural heritage in Karabakh. On the contrary, the European Parliament has been silently observing the facts of the destruction, and desecration of religious temples, and cultural monuments of Azerbaijan for almost thirty years of occupation by Armenians. However, the example of Eva Kaili now makes it clear how and why such pro-Armenian resolutions were passed. However, if in the case of Kaili Armenia loses just one vote of support in the European Parliament, the changed balance of forces in the region after Azerbaijan's victory in the 44-day war in Karabakh significantly narrows the possibilities of corrupt European MPs in lobbying the ideology of Armenian separatism. And this very important nuance, we hope, will finally be understood in this European structure.

Caliber.Az