Baku says farewell to EU's mediation until it abandons pro-Armenian stance The door is still ajar

Thus, we may say with greater certainty that Brussels, as the capital of the European Union, has decided to disqualify itself as a broker for a peaceful settlement between Azerbaijan and Armenia.

In fact, the Old World took a verdict on the Brussels platform in Granada in October 2023. Seemingly offended by the absence of Ilham Aliyev, the European leaders rushed to show their commitment, issuing a joint statement with the Armenian PM that effectively united Europe and Armenia. Up to that point, the EU's policy had been one of neutrality, but after Granada, that was no longer an option.

Granada became the last bastion, personally surrendered by the President of the European Council and initiator of the mediation, Charles Michel. Unable to withstand the onslaught of the French, unable to meet the understanding of the Germans and running the risk of finding himself alone in the abyss of European hypocrisy, he jumped into their boat. Baku appreciated Michel's personal mediation efforts and regretted that the principles of justice did not live long within European walls. After Granada, thanks to the personal authority of Charles Michel, we were able to keep a few bridges open to Brussels, but with his imminent resignation from the presidency of the European Council (due to his participation in the European Parliament elections), there seems to be no one left to talk to.

However, there was a small hope that Michel would be replaced for a while by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban as the leader of the country that will hold the presidency of the EU Council of Ministers from July 1 to December 31 2024. The latter, in turn, would use this opportunity to revive the Brussels platform on new principles. However, this hope has been dashed by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban's refusal to apply for the post of President of the European Council, saying he was not interested in working with the European authorities. "Neither I nor my party have any ambitions for European posts. We are national politicians and we believe that our vocation, our work and our future endeavours are here in Hungary," he said.

However, I exaggerated this expectation a bit by calling it a hope. We are not pinning our hopes on any of the external mediators, we are simply allowing them to help the process, while we remain committed to bilateral negotiations.

None of the EU's other actions has helped to strengthen Baku's confidence in it. In the late summer of last year, during the artificial escalation of the Karabakh road crisis, the head of the European diplomatic service, Josep Borrell, stepped up his rhetoric against Azerbaijan. His department's spokesman Peter Stano, who recently pleased the Armenian audience, is not far behind. Here's what he said: "The European Union is sending clear signals to Azerbaijan that any violation of Armenia's territorial integrity by this country is unacceptable and will have serious consequences for EU-Azerbaijan relations." Obviously, the European diplomat decided to support the hysteria of the Armenian side regarding the statements made by Ilham Aliyev during his interview with domestic TV channels. Listening to Aliyev's words, there was nothing aggressive towards Armenia. They contained an appeal to follow the principles of justice and common sense. However, it is not advantageous for Brussels to read them carefully. Its main principle is to find any reason to accuse Baku and thus make Armenia a victim.

Another hostile step against our country is the hearings in the French Senate today on a draft resolution which aims to "condemn Azerbaijan's military offensive in Nagorno-Karabakh and prevent any further attempts of aggression and violation of the territorial integrity of the Republic of Armenia, call for sanctions against Azerbaijan and demand the guarantee of the right of return of the Armenian population to Nagorno-Karabakh". We will certainly see the adopted resolution by the end of today. There is no doubt that it will be adopted. If so, this resolution will be another nail in the coffin of the Brussels negotiating platform, which Paris has recently been leading.

But that is not all. It seems that European officials and lawmakers have decided to compete with each other to see who will be more protective of the Armenians. For example, there has been news that on January 24 the European Parliament will be holding a conference on the "Protection of the Armenian Cultural and Religious Heritage in Nagorno-Karabakh". The initiator of the hearings is MEP Miriam Lexmann and here is her address to her colleagues: "The millennia-old Armenian cultural and religious heritage in Nagorno-Karabakh is under imminent threat of destruction, desecration and appropriation. Join me and experts from the European Parliament to discuss what can be done to protect the Armenian heritage".

In other words, Europe has decided to follow the path of Christian solidarity, completely ignoring the principles of justice that it proclaims.

The United States, by the way, is acting in the same spirit. It is clear to everyone that the United States still guides the Old World, and the conflict in Ukraine has further strengthened this dependence. So we can conclude that we are unlikely to return to the Washington track.

I wonder, aren't the Armenians themselves tired of this endless mutual flirting with Europe with permanent sympathy, empathy and solidarity, the price of which is zero? Do they not feel that there is no air in the walls of European cabinets and parliaments, that the real will is in peace and cooperation with neighbours?

On the whole, we are even grateful to Brussels and Washington for giving us a platform to present our position. In one way or another, the meetings in these cities have led to some progress, albeit small, in the negotiation process. We have used these platforms as effectively as possible. Now we are saying goodbye to them. Why not farewell? Because life is full of surprises. We allow for the possibility that the door for them has not yet closed. Unless, of course, they want to change their behaviour.