Azerbaijan Suspends Cooperation with European Parliament Over Alleged Bias

The decision was made by Baku in response to the "anti-Azerbaijani activities" by the European bloc's legislature.

The parliament in Baku passed a resolution to stop cooperation across all tracks and end its participation in the EU-Azerbaijan Parliamentary Cooperation Committee.

At the opening of the spring session, Milli Majlis Speaker Sahiba Gafarova announced that the chamber would take responsive measures over what she called anti-Azerbaijani activities by the European Parliament.

The legislature simultaneously initiated withdrawal procedures from the EuroNest Parliamentary Assembly, a regional inter-parliamentary forum with the European Parliament and parliaments of several other countries, Xinhua news agency reported.

Meanwhile, the Ambassador of the European Union to the Republic of Azerbaijan, Marijana Kujundzic, was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Friday.

"On May 1, the Ambassador of the European Union to the Republic of Azerbaijan, Marijana Kujunjic, was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. During the meeting, the unfounded and biased provisions against our country in the resolution adopted by the European Parliament on April 30 were strongly condemned, and a note of protest was submitted to the other party in this regard," read a statement issued by the Azerbaijan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Friday.

"It was emphasised that the provisions of the resolution in question distort reality, contradict the principles of objectivity, and the obligations of respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of states. It was emphasized that the European Parliament's display of such an approach negatively affects the normalization process in the region, as well as the prospects for relations between Azerbaijan and the European Union," it added.

Baku asserted that the claims made regarding the return of Armenian residents to the Karabakh region are "completely unfounded", and such calls are interference in the internal affairs of Azerbaijan.

"It was noted that despite the reintegration plan presented in 2023 in accordance with the Constitution of Azerbaijan, Armenian residents left the region voluntarily, and that statements claiming the opposite are false. At the same time, it was noted at the meeting that calls for the release of persons of Armenian origin, presented as 'prisoners of war', are also legally unacceptable. It was recalled that the Azerbaijani side, demonstrating a humane approach, released many prisoners, took steps towards confidence-building, and that the individuals sentenced to court were individuals who had committed a number of serious crimes, including terrorism, sabotage and war crimes," the Foreign Ministry stated.

- IANS