The President of the International Eurasia Press Fund, Umud Mirzayev sent an appeal letter to the President of the European Parliament, Antonio Tajani.
H.E. Mr. Antonio Tajani
President of the European Parliament
Your Excellency President of the EP Mr.Antonio Tajani,
We would like to appeal on the cases of abuse of authority by Mr. Lars Adaktusson, Mr. Charles Tannock, Ms. Eleni Theocharous and Ms.Michèle Rivasi.
We address you on behalf of the International Eurasia Press Fund (IEPF), officially registered in 1992 non-governmental organization, which is operating internationally on the post-Soviet, Eastern Europe, and Western Asian space. The organization is enjoying the general consultative status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations (ECOSOC). The main part of the employees are refugees and IDPs who suffered in result of the conflicts, including the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
By writing this appeal, with deep regret, we should draw your attention to the activities held by some members of the European Parliament (EP), which undermine the development of dynamic cooperation between the EU and Azerbaijan and respectively on deepening integration between the peoples, civil society members.
The steps taken by some members of the EP contradict not only to the diplomatic norms and international law, but also the fundamental ethical principles.
Recent visit of Mr.Lars Adaktusson (MEP) from the European People's Party to the occupied territories of Azerbaijan where Armenia committed ethnic cleansing including the Khojaly tragedy, a genocidal and a criminal act against humanity, against over a million people who are refugees and IDPs from these regions, means that he supports occupation, aggression and bloody ethnic cleansing. Such illegal visits both violate the laws of Azerbaijan and international law, undermine the efforts of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-chairs towards the peaceful settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and at the same time contradicts the four UN Security Council resolutions.
Members of the European Conservatives and Reformists Group (ECR), Ms.Eleni Theokharus (Cyprus) also visited the area of Nagorno-Karabakh “illegally” and even stated that she supported the people there who fight for their freedom.
On the other hand, some MP, which hold biased and unconstructive position aimed at openly supporting anti-Azerbaijani forces, make all in their powers to cast a shadow on all the work done jointly by Azerbaijan and the EU, as well as to support the unreasonable and aggressive efforts of the Armenian powers to justify its occupant politics.
Despite of the ceasefire announcement in 1994, Armenians continue killing Azerbaijani civilians who are living close to the frontline. On July 4, at the result of targeted and deliberate attacking of civilians and civilian objects of the Alkhanli village in Azerbaijan by armed forces of Armenia Guliyeva Sahiba (born in 1967) and her 2 years old granddaughter Guliyeva Zahra were killed. It should be noticed that this place was far enough from the location of military bases. Therefore, it is obviously that Armenians aimed to shoot the civil settlement.
Since the beginning of the conflict a lot of children became the victims of the Armenian aggression. 193 Azerbaijani children were killed during the Nagorno-Karabakh war, while the number of injured children is hundreds. 61 children went missing, 27 are still in Armenian captivity. Azerbaijani children are being killed by Armenian bullets and bombs. They die because about three decades the international community fails to name the aggressor and Armenia continues its aggression encouraged by impunity. This is a war crime.
In an open letter, Mr.Norica Nicolai, the European Parliament reporter for Azerbaijan, and Mr.Ryszard Czarnecki, vice president of the European Parliament, stated, “The indiscriminate killing of civilians, women and children is unacceptable in any circumstances and must be stopped immediately! It has emerged that this killing was the result of a mortar and grenade attack committed by Armenian armed personnel against Azerbaijani unarmed civilians in the village of Alkanli, in the Fuzuli province.”
From his own side, Members of the European Conservatives and Reformists Group (ECR), Mr. Charles Tannock (the United Kingdom) blamed Azerbaijan for allocation of military posts in civilian areas with the aim to use them as a human shield. He said that Azerbaijan’s steps contradict Geneva Convention.
Around 20% of Azerbaijan, including Nagorno-Karabakh and 7 adjacent regions, has been under the occupation of the Armenian armed forces for more than 25 years. In Azerbaijan, one out of every 8 persons is a refugee or IDP; 1.2 million refugees and internally displaced persons, formed as a result of Armenian occupation and military operations. The people who live in the villages close to the frontline do not move anywhere because their houses, their homeland is there and they wish to live without a fear to be killed by the Armenian armed forces. It is not about the government, which uses them as a “human shield”.
On June 16, 2015 the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) announced its decision related to the case of Chiragov and Others v. Armenia. ECHR stated that Nagorno-Karabakh, Lachin district and other adjoining territories are currently under occupation. It is more about Armenian behavior, which contradicts all existing rules, norms and conventions.
In addition, on February 27, 2018, MEPs Mr.Lars Adaktusson and Ms.Michèle Rivasi are planning to hold an event about Nagorno-Karabakh in the building of the European Parliament. The event is organized by the Tufenkian Foundation, Armenian Legal Center for Justice and Human Rights and European Armenian Federation for Justice and Democracy, with the financial support from Armenian lobby. On February 28, 2018, a conference on “Nagorno-Karabakh & the EU: 1988-2018” will be held at the European Parliament building (Room JAN 6Q2). The event will be sponsored by the Armenian General Benevolent Union and European Friends of Armenia lobby groups.
We know that civil society in Azerbaijan has always highlighted the European norms and values and also supported the integration with the European Union. Such a behavior of some MEPs diminishes the trust of Azerbaijani people in the wish of the EU to support the peaceful resolution of the conflict and deepen the integration with Azerbaijan.
We also know that EU and EP support the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the Eastern Partnership countries. The visit of some MP to Azerbaijan’s occupied territories and their contacts with the criminal regime established in the occupied territories can never be considered understandable in Azerbaijan. Such “illegal” visits aggravate relations between the peoples of two countries, Armenia and Azerbaijan and totally undermine the possibility of a rapprochement between two nations.
We express our sincere hope that EP parties will not be used as an anti-Azerbaijani platform; the organization of the events in support to the illegal regime established in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan as well as the future visits of the MEP to the occupied lands of Azerbaijan will not be encouraged.
Thank you
Best regards,
Umud Mirzayev
President of the International Eurasia Press Fund