Azerbaijan boycotts Euronest session in Yerevan Over “Anti-Azerbaijan” stance

Azerbaijan’s delegation to the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly will not take part in the body’s 12th plenary session, due to be held in Yerevan at the end of this month, the head of the Azerbaijani delegation, Tahir Mirkishili, has announced.

Speaking to local media, Mirkishili said the decision stemmed from the European Parliament’s “biased and contradictory” stance towards Azerbaijan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

“Documents and statements issued by the European Parliament, which make up half of Euronest’s activity, contradict Azerbaijan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” he said.

According to Mirkishili, these statements also fail to support the peace process between Azerbaijan and Armenia, instead serving the interests of forces that want to prolong hostility in the region.

Mirkishili recalled that the Milli Majlis (Parliament) had repeatedly protested against such positions, adding that the European Parliament’s “unconstructive statement” following the Washington peace talks between Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in August had “once again undermined the Azerbaijani delegation’s faith in the usefulness of cooperation within Euronest.”

“For these reasons, we will not participate in the plenary session in Yerevan,” he said. “We have also conveyed our objections to the organisation’s leadership. I should stress that this decision is not related to the event being held in Armenia. Peace between Azerbaijan and Armenia has already been achieved, and practical steps towards normalisation are underway.”

The 12th Ordinary Session of the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly will take place on 28–30 October 2025 in Yerevan, Armenia, hosted by the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia.

The opening session will feature addresses by Alen Simonyan, President of the Armenian National Assembly, and Younous Omarjee, Vice-President of the European Parliament, who will speak on behalf of EP President Roberta Metsola.

Keynote remarks will also be delivered by Audrone Perkauskiene from the European External Action Service, representing EU High Representative Kaja Kallas, and Adrienn Kiraly from the European Commission’s DG ENEST, speaking on behalf of Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos.

Observers from the European Economic and Social Committee, the Committee of the Regions, and the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum are also expected to address the assembly.

By Aghakazim Guliyev