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by Elmira Tariverdiyeva, Baku. Exclusively for VK
The New resolution of the European Parliament on discussions of the associated membership of Azerbaijan and Armenia inspired optimism in Baku. It demonstrates support for its positions, states that Azerbaijan’s occupied territories will not be freed, refugees will not return, and an agreement on Azerbaijani and Armenian association within the framework of the Eastern Partnership will not be signed. The document says that occupation of territories violates international law, violates the good-neighborhood policy and harms the Eastern Partnership program. The resolution states the need to investigate the illegal settlement of occupied territories of Azerbaijan.
The document is considered a diplomatic victory of Azerbaijan, but its effect is disputable. The European Parliament passed a similar resolution on South Caucasus two years ago, urging the EU to be more active in stabilizing the region. Members of the European Parliament expressed concerns over increase of military expenses and demanded withdrawal of Armenian forces. The new resolution is a signal for Yerevan. But immediate fulfillment of its points should not be expected, because they are recommendations, so breakthroughs in negotiations held under the auspices of the OSCE Minsk Group since May 1994 should not be expected.
Resolutions of the European Parliament have no obligatory fulfillment by EU institutions. Its resolutions are of no greater significance than the ones passed by the UN Security Council.
Stefan Fule, EU Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy, said in Baku that progress in negotiations will only be achieved in an atmosphere of trust and mutual understanding. The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is considered frozen, but the European Union continues efforts to resolve it. The new resolution of the European Parliament supports Azerbaijan’s territorial unity. The EU has recently said that the Eastern Partnership could become the platform for negotiations of Yerevan and Baku, but such hopes have been lost.
Baku hopes that the West will try absolutely new mechanisms to support sides of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. More active mediation of the EU should aid in resolving many problems. It will improve stability in South Caucasus and coordinate settlement of territorial disputes. All members of the EU have common foreign policy. Influence of Armenian communities in the US and France is clear. The EU could take a more political part in resolving the conflict together with the Minsk Group. Baku says that the EU would not pressurize Armenia at this moment. The new resolution may become a positive step to adjust the balance, but Baku is running out of patience.
