If Azerbaijan does not stop its aggressive provocative policy, sanctions will be imposed. This promise was voiced by Michael Roth, Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the Bundestag—the German parliament, at the press briefing held in Yerevan on Monday.
The German MP called his current visit “a message of support to Armenia” and a warning to the dictatorial regime of Azerbaijan that a military threat will not be tolerated in Europe.
“The use of military force against Nagorno-Karabakh was a gross violation of international law, and we strongly condemn such behavior. The policy of putting a sign of equality between the young democracy of Armenia and the autocracy of Azerbaijan has failed. This means that the policy should be changed and a clear position should be adopted. If Azerbaijan does not stop its aggressive provocative policy, sanctions will be imposed; they are currently under development,” Roth said.
He expressed his support for the expansion of the EU monitoring mission in Armenia in order to strengthen the security of the Armenian population. Recalling the statement of Armenian Prime Minister Pashinyan about getting as close as possible to the EU, Roth said that he will contribute to this, and the EU should quickly expand economic and political cooperation with Armenia, as well as provide broader assistance to displaced people of Nagorno-Karabakh.
In addition, Roth announced that the liberalization of the visa regime can also contribute to the rapprochement of Armenia and the EU, and at the same time stressed the importance of Armenia ratifying the Istanbul Convention.
Answering the question about possible sanctions against Azerbaijan, Roth clarified that there is not even a draft on it so far, but one can talk about reducing the scope of cooperation in the energy sector.
“Authoritarian states understand one language, so they should know what the consequences of military operations will be if they resort to such a thing,” said the German lawmaker.
According to him, Azerbaijan has already lost trust and is not considered a reliable partner by the international community. At the same time, Roth assured that the EU will do everything to continue the negotiations and achieve a stable peace.
He admitted that in recent months their Armenian colleagues talked about the possibility of military development of the events, but they did not listen to them in the European capitals.
Regarding the possible sanctions on Azerbaijan, the German MP said that they can be adopted at the EU level, but, unfortunately, there is no consensus on this matter. Welcoming the efforts of the Chancellor of Germany and the President of France and the President of the European Council, and the participation of the Prime Minister of Armenia in the meeting held in Granada, Spain, Roth condemned Azerbaijani president Aliyev’s refusal to attend this meeting, and stated that it is necessary to convince Aliyev to return to the negotiating table, which is in his own interests.
Michael Roth will visit the southern regions of Armenia Tuesday.
Source : News.am