EU calls on Azerbaijan to ensure human rights and security of Karabakh Armenians

The European Union has called for the assurance of human rights, fundamental freedoms and the security of the Karabakh Armenians, in a statement to the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe on 18 October. 

Noting that nearly the entire population of Nagorno-Karabakh, over 100,600 persons, had found refuge in Armenia, the EU called on Azerbaijan “to ensure the human rights, fundamental freedoms and security of the Karabakh Armenians, including their right to live in their homes in dignity, without intimidation or discrimination, as well as to create the conditions for the voluntary, safe, dignified and sustainable return of refugees and displaced persons to Nagorno-Karabakh with due respect for their history, culture and human rights.”

The statement took note of President Ilham Aliyev’s public remarks about willingness to live in peace with Karabakh Armenians and preserve their rights, adding: “Azerbaijan has a clear primary responsibility for the fate of the population. Tangible, concrete and transparent guarantees must be provided. As an important confidence-building measure, we expect a comprehensive amnesty for all Karabakh Armenians, including their representatives, and restraint by all sides from harsh rhetoric.”

The EU reiterated its support to the sovereignty, inviolability of borders and territorial integrity of both Azerbaijan and Armenia, and called on Azerbaijan to reaffirm its unequivocal commitment to the territorial integrity of Armenia, in line with the 1991 Almaty Declaration.

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