Member of the European Parliament Gerolf Annemans expresses deep concern over Aliyev’s aggressive statements against Armenia

Member of the European Parliament (MEP) Gerolf Annemans (Belgium) has expressed deep concern over Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s recent aggressive statements against Armenia.

In an interview with Armenpress Brussels correspondent Lilit Gasparyan, the MEP said that these statements are very telling of the virulent mindset of the Azerbaijan government, and that Baku is not interested in negotiating any lasting or durable peace.

The MEP expressed hope that there can be a basis for a just peace treaty with respect for Armenian sovereignty and the cultural heritage of Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh.

“We also believe Armenia is doing what it can to further the peace effort. It is now up to the international community and the Minsk Group to get Azerbaijan to make a sincere effort at the negotiating table,” Annemans said.

Speaking about Azerbaijani President Aliyev’s narrative of so-called “Western Azerbaijan”, the MEP said that this narrative is “nothing less than a false historical claim on territory that according to international law belongs to the sovereignty of Armenia.”

“President Aliyev and his regime have publicly made such territorial claims numerous times, and they use this narrative to legitimize their annexation of Artsakh and their further military aggression against Armenian territory. Eventually they strive for mass settlement of Azeris and replacement of ethnic Armenians both in Artsakh as well as in what they label ‘Western Azerbaijan’,” he said.

MEP Annemans said that Azerbaijan and Turkey have the geostrategic objective of creating a direct territorial connection with each other, and Armenia quite literally stands in the way, because of its geographical position.

“Aliyev’s latest comments on the Zangezur corridor were very telling in this regard. He openly claims he wants to connect Turkey and Azerbaijan through this corridor which runs straight through Armenia, a flagrant breach of Armenian sovereignty and international law,” Gerolf Annemans said.

The MEP said that given the rhetoric, ideology and strategic plans of the Aliyev regime, Armenia has to secure itself to the maximum.

Speaking about the Armenian government’s Crossroads of Peace project, MEP Gerolf Annemans said the project has “a lot of potential and can greatly contribute to stability in the Southern Caucasus, between Armenia and its neighbouring countries.” It will have a positive impact on the economic development and trade between Armenia, Georgia, Turkey, Azerbaijan and Iran, he said.

“As important as the economic aspect, is the positive influence the Crossroads of Peace could have on diplomatic, cultural and political ties between the different nations of the region. Growing trade and transport between countries can create feasible conditions for mutual understanding and peace. The core principles of the Crossroads of Peace project offer the ideal criteria for equitable relationships in the region,” he added, emphasizing that there are challenging problems regarding Crossroads of Peace, such as the absence of willingness of Azerbaijan and Turkey to invest in a durable and lasting peace and to work towards this goal with other partners like Armenia.