European Azerbaijan Center slams EU Parliament resolution as political provocation

The resolution adopted by the European Parliament on April 30, 2026 reflects clear bias and constitutes a political provocation targeting international law, Azerbaijan’s sovereignty, and ongoing peace efforts in the South Caucasus, the European Azerbaijan Center (Europäisches Aserbaidschan Zentrum) based in Germany said in a statement.

According to the statement, the resolution distorts realities in the South Caucasus, shows disregard for Azerbaijan’s sovereign rights and attempts to revive outdated conflict rhetoric, including through the use of the term “Nagorno-Karabakh.”

“The use of the term ‘Nagorno-Karabakh’ in the European Parliament’s resolution is particularly unacceptable. There is no administrative, political, legal, or autonomous territorial unit called ‘Nagorno-Karabakh’ within the administrative-territorial structure of the Republic of Azerbaijan. The former ‘Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast’ was abolished as a national-territorial entity by Law No. 279- XII of the Republic of Azerbaijan dated 26 November 1991. That law explicitly states that ‘the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast of the Republic of Azerbaijan shall be abolished as a national-territorial entity.’

In this regard, the use of an obsolete Soviet administrative term in an official document adopted by the European Parliament in 2026 cannot be regarded as an accidental terminological mistake. It constitutes a distortion of Azerbaijan’s domestic legal realities, an indirect legitimisation of separatist narratives, and irresponsible political conduct directed against the peace process in the region.

Under the current official regional-economic division of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the relevant territories are included in the Karabakh Economic Region. These territories are an integral part of Azerbaijan, and all matters concerning them fall within the constitutional order, laws, and sovereign jurisdiction of the Republic of Azerbaijan, in accordance with international law. No foreign parliament or international body has the authority to present a non-existent administrative unit within Azerbaijan’s sovereign territory as a separate political entity.

The provisions in the resolution concerning the so-called ‘right of return’ of Karabakh Armenians are also presented in a one-sided manner and amount to interference in Azerbaijan’s internal affairs. The Azerbaijani state has the authority to ensure the rights of all persons living on its territory within the framework of the Constitution and laws of Azerbaijan. Any issue related to the Karabakh region can only be addressed within the sovereign rights and jurisdiction of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

If the European Parliament truly speaks of human rights, justice, and the right of return, then it must also address, with the same level of principled attention, the expulsion of hundreds of thousands of Azerbaijanis from their native lands as a result of Armenia’s occupation, as well as their right to return to their homes, villages, cities, and historical lands. Highlighting the rights of only one side while ignoring the rights of Azerbaijani internally displaced persons and Azerbaijanis deported from Armenia is a clear manifestation of double standards.

The allegations in the resolution concerning the alleged destruction of Armenian cultural and religious heritage are also one-sided and unfounded. For nearly 30 years of occupation, the European Parliament did not demonstrate the same sensitivity towards the destruction of mosques, the desecration of religious monuments, the devastation of cemeteries, and the destruction of museums, libraries, schools, and cultural institutions in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan. Under these circumstances, relying solely on the claims of the Armenian side cannot be explained by legal objectivity, but rather by political selectivity.

The allegations in the resolution that Azerbaijan is allegedly holding ‘Armenian prisoners of war, detainees and hostages unjustly’ are legally unacceptable. The prosecution of persons accused of terrorism, sabotage, participation in illegal armed formations, war crimes, and other serious crimes committed on the territory of Azerbaijan is the sovereign right of the Republic of Azerbaijan. No foreign political institution may exert political pressure on Azerbaijan’s judicial jurisdiction.

The European Parliament should be reminded that criminal responsibility cannot be eliminated through political statements. Under the principle of the rule of law, every person must be held accountable before the law for acts they have committed. Calling, through a political resolution, for persons accused of serious crimes to evade responsibility is legally inadmissible and politically irresponsible.

The resolution’s presentation of the European Union Mission in Armenia solely as a ‘stabilising factor’ is another indication of a one-sided approach. Stability in the region cannot be ensured on the basis of the interests of only one side, but must be based on the sovereignty, security, and mutual respect of all states. The failure to take into account Azerbaijan’s legitimate security concerns seriously calls into question the European Union’s claim to neutrality and balanced engagement.

The one-sided presentation in the resolution of the issue of connectivity between the main part of Azerbaijan and the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic is also unacceptable. The opening of communications, restoration of transport links, and development of regional economic cooperation are important factors serving the development of the entire South Caucasus. This issue should not be treated as a subject of political pressure or geopolitical manipulation, but rather as an integral component of the peace agenda.

The European Parliament’s resolution weakens the peace process instead of supporting it. The language used and the demands put forward in this document encourage revanchist circles, feed separatist thinking, and damage the process of normalisation between Azerbaijan and Armenia. At such a sensitive stage of peace in the South Caucasus, the adoption of such irresponsible and one-sided resolutions seriously harms the atmosphere of trust in the region.

The European Azerbaijan Centre calls on the European Parliament to abandon biased and legally unfounded provisions against the Republic of Azerbaijan, to remove from its official documents expressions such as ‘Nagorno-Karabakh’, which have no basis in the legal and administrative-territorial framework of the Republic of Azerbaijan, and to respect Azerbaijan’s sovereignty, territorial integrity, and the principle of non-interference in its internal affairs.

The sovereign rights of the Azerbaijani people, the territorial integrity of the Azerbaijani state, and the fact that Karabakh is an integral part of Azerbaijan are not matters for discussion. No resolution, political statement, or external pressure can alter this reality.

The European Azerbaijan Centre firmly defends the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic of Azerbaijan, as well as its just position based on international law, and calls on the European public to approach the processes in the South Caucasus not through the prism of biased resolutions, but on the basis of law, justice, and objective facts,” the statement added.

By Jeyhun Aghazada