A group of senior Members of the European Parliament issued a joint statement welcoming the outcomes of the Washington summit between the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan. They expressed confidence that this development would lead to further progress in border delimitation and the full withdrawal of Azerbaijani armed forces from the territory of Armenia in the near future. The statement also emphasized the need to address the issue of Armenian prisoners of war held in Azerbaijan and the Armenians displaced from Nagorno-Karabakh, as reported by Factor.am .
“We highly appreciate the commitment of the governments of Armenia and Azerbaijan to put an end to the decades-long conflict, as well as the significant role of the United States in achieving this positive outcome, which builds upon negotiations held in recent years, including those facilitated by the European Union.
It is crucial that this process continues with the signing and ratification of the pre-agreed peace treaty as soon as possible. The political agreement on opening communication between the two countries—for domestic, bilateral, and international transport—based on respect for sovereignty, territorial integrity, and jurisdiction, as declared in the joint statement by the leaders, represents significant progress.
We acknowledge Armenia’s readiness to work with the U.S. and other mutually agreed third parties on developing and managing the route passing through Armenia’s south and welcome the U.S. intention to invest. We also highlight the importance of mutual benefits for Armenia’s international and domestic connectivity, as agreed by the leaders. Once implemented, this vital communication project will unlock the immense potential of the South Caucasus to become a hub for trade and economic prosperity benefiting all people in the region.
Turkey’s constructive engagement will be indispensable for realizing the full potential of this progress. We encourage the Turkish government to support these positive developments by reciprocating Armenia’s willingness to normalize relations and open the Armenian-Turkish border—for the benefit of both countries and beyond.
We also welcome the leaders’ clear commitment to the UN Charter and the 1991 Alma-Ata Declaration, as well as the principles of the inviolability of international borders and the inadmissibility of the use of force for territorial gains.
We are confident that this will lead to further progress in the delimitation process and the full withdrawal of Azerbaijani armed forces from the territory of the Republic of Armenia in the near future. We also underscore the need to resolve the issues of Armenian prisoners of war held in Azerbaijan and the Armenians displaced from Nagorno-Karabakh. The EU remains actively engaged in promoting stability and prosperity in the South Caucasus and is ready to continue contributing to the normalization of relations.
This process is also crucial for Armenia’s efforts to diversify its economic and security partnerships and pursue its declared European aspirations, which the European Parliament fully supports,” the statement reads.
The statement was signed by David McAllister, Chair of the European Parliament's Committee on Foreign Affairs (AFET, EPP group), Sergey Lagodinsky, Chair of the EURONEST Parliamentary Assembly delegation, Nils Ušakovs, Chair of the delegation for relations with the South Caucasus, Miriam Lexmann, AFET permanent rapporteur on Armenia, and Dan Barna, permanent rapporteur on Azerbaijan.
On August 8, at the White House, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, U.S. President Donald Trump, and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev signed a Joint Declaration following their trilateral meeting. In Washington, Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan and Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov pre-signed the agreement “On the Establishment of Peace and Interstate Relations between the Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Azerbaijan” in the presence of their leaders.
