AIR Centre: EU lobbyists seeking to put Karabakh back on agenda

Some lobbying groups in European Union countries are again trying to put the Karabakh issue on the agenda under the guise of humanitarian concerns, Farid Shafiev, chairman of the Centre for Analysis of International Relations (AIR Centre), said on September 4.

Speaking at a round-table discussion in Baku organised by the AIR Centre and LINKS Europe Foundation, Shafiev said the EU had an extensive network of lobbyists and representatives of so-called public advocacy groups seeking to raise the issue again, according to local media.

Azerbaijan should remain vigilant because there were forces interested in obstructing the peace process between Azerbaijan and Armenia, he said.

Shafiev cited Ruben Vardanyan as an example, saying it was strange to see him among the nominees for the Václav Havel Human Rights Prize.

“The same body called Ruben Vardanyan a money launderer and someone who supported military action against Ukraine,” Shafiev said.

The geopolitical situation in the South Caucasus had changed significantly, Shafiev said, adding that the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict had ended and the sides were now talking about peace.

By Aghakazim Guliyev