Azerbaijan's Checkpoint Installation Contradicts Efforts to Build Trust Between Parties: Josep Borrell

The installation of a checkpoint by Azerbaijan in the Lachin corridor contradicts the efforts to build trust between the parties. This was stated by the EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, during a discussion in the European Parliament on the topic of “Relations Between Armenia and Azerbaijan and the Situation in Nagorno-Karabakh and the Lachin Corridor.”

During the Q&A session, MEP Francois Xavier Bellamy criticized the blockade of the Lachin corridor. He noted, “The Court of Justice condemned the blockade by Azerbaijan, yet this state terrorism has not led to any punitive measures from the Council. Moreover, the Commission seems unable to properly condemn this very serious violation of the fundamental rights of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh.”

Responding to Bellamy's comments, Josep Borrell stated that Azerbaijan’s unilateral decision completely contradicts the efforts to build trust between the parties. Borrell mentioned that the Lachin corridor falls outside the geographical area of responsibility of the EU monitoring mission: “There are territorial areas, border sections with Armenia, from which one can see what is happening in the Lachin corridor. However, the corridor itself is outside the mission's jurisdiction and their area of responsibility. We are now trying to find a solution specifically for this issue.”

European Commission Vice President Borrell also mentioned that a very important meeting took place in Moldova between the President of France, the Chancellor of Germany, and the President of the European Council. He added that another meeting with Charles Michel, President of the European Council, is scheduled for July in Brussels, and that efforts are being made to resolve the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict, with both parties willing to continue negotiations.