European NGOs Urge Sanctions Against Azerbaijan, Nearly 500 Letters Sent to EU and Council of Europe Leaders

More than 470 European NGOs and organizations have sent a letter to the leaders of the European Union and the Council of Europe, urging immediate and effective actions to lift Azerbaijan's ongoing illegal blockade of Artsakh.

The letter is addressed to the presidents of the European Council, the European Commission, and the European Parliament, as well as to the heads of state of Council of Europe member countries.

The authors of the letter highlight the unbearable living conditions faced by 120,000 Armenians in Artsakh due to Azerbaijan's deliberate blockade of the only road connecting Artsakh to the Republic of Armenia for over seven months.

“For the sake of respect for human rights, for the values championed by European democracies, and for the right to self-determination of peoples,” the European organizations request their leaders to take the following six specific actions:

• Demand Azerbaijan to immediately cease violations of the ceasefire declaration of November 9,
• Remove the checkpoint at the Hakari Bridge, which was established in gross violation of international responsibilities and the International Court of Justice,
• Liberalize the Lachin corridor and ensure the safe and secure movement of people and goods to and from Artsakh,
• Impose economic and political sanctions against Azerbaijan and its leadership for war crimes, non-fulfillment of international obligations, occupying part of the territory of the Republic of Armenia, and the blockade of Artsakh,
• Utilize all leverage to prevent any Azerbaijani control over Artsakh as it inevitably results in ethnic cleansing of the indigenous Armenian population there,
• Recognize the right to self-determination of the indigenous Armenian population of Artsakh as a vital necessity and use all leverage to ensure that the status of Artsakh reflects the democratic expression of its indigenous Armenian population and create conditions for sustainable peace and security.

They also propose to establish an air corridor to provide urgent economic and humanitarian assistance to Artsakh and guarantee the safety of air communications through the Stepanakert airport.

Moreover, they call for pressuring Azerbaijan to withdraw its troops unconditionally and immediately from the sovereign territory of the Republic of Armenia and to end its aggressive posture towards the Republic of Armenia as a prerequisite for peaceful negotiations.

The letter was sent to leaders of the European Union, particularly European Council President Charles Michel, ahead of the upcoming trilateral meeting in Brussels on July 15, 2023, between him, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.