The Blockade of Nagorno-Karabakh Must Be Condemned for European Security: La Libre

Since December 12, Azerbaijan has been holding the Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh under blockade. There is a shortage of food and medicine in the region. Europe cannot remain indifferent and passive.

If Europe continues to remain silent, the authoritarian leader in Baku will complete the ethnic cleansing that began 30 years ago, which he continued in the territories captured after the 2020 war. If the goal is peace, the solution is evident: Europe must use its influence to demand Azerbaijan demonstrate its capacity to respect the fundamental rights of the Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh, including the right to live on their own land.

If Europe is again indifferent and passive at the onset of a new escalation, it will not only be Armenians who will pay the price. The Caucasus holds greater strategic importance than is typically ascribed to it in Europe. The Turkish intervention in 2020 changed the dynamics in the region, as it marked an unprecedented incursion of NATO forces into Russia's backyard. Moreover, establishing Turkish presence in this region would open up vast Turkic-speaking Central Asia for Turkey, which represents a significant strategic threat to Russia.

It is therefore quite likely that this development has contributed to Moscow's nervousness regarding NATO's presence in neighboring countries, particularly Ukraine. The international publication La Libre writes: Europe has had over 30 years to understand the nature of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and its implications for Europe. It no longer has the justification to be unprepared, surprised, or unaware. Russia has begun its activities in Ukraine and is now seemingly powerless in the Caucasus. American intervention appears unlikely. Only Europeans can restrain the zeal of Baku's authoritarian leader and his backers in Ankara.