EU spokesperson: People of Nagorno Karabakh need to have guarantees for a safe return

Speaking with Armenpress, Peter Stano, the European Commission’s lead spokesperson for foreign affairs and security policy, commented on the EU’s decision to launch visa liberalization talks with Armenia and support the country through the European Peace Facility.

“We are going to explore options for visa liberalization with Armenia. This means we will start the process to see whether it’s feasible, whether it’s possible. Visa liberalization is something that is very important because it’s tangible and visible for people. But it’s also something where all the Member States need to agree eventually and where there are also tasks to be fulfilled on the side of the partner country, in this case of Armenia, but again, it’s important that there is an agreement. We want to start to look at the options and explore the possibility of visa liberalization. So, we are launching a process. This is the start of the process, but it is a process that eventually, if everything goes well, might bring a lot of benefits for the Armenian citizens,” he said.

Stano also commented on Azerbaijan’s recent statement accusing the EU of ‘undermining peace and stability’ in the region.

“We are not doing, you know, like black deals or something behind the table with hidden agenda and it’s not the European Union which provokes instability. It’s not the European Union that makes unilateral military steps. But what we have seen in case of Nagorno Karabakh, we have seen unilateral military steps, launching of a military operation despite previous assurances that the issue will not be solved militarily. So, one needs to be a little bit also like self-reflective when pointing fingers to others. But again, we say there is absolutely no reason to criticize anything the European Union says or does vis a vis Armenia. This is very transparent,” Stano noted.

Stano underscored the importance of the return of forcibly displaced Armenians to Artsakh under international guarantees.

“We are demanding very clearly, that the people of Nagorno Karabakh need to have guarantees for a safe return. You know, their property cannot be reoccupied or confiscated or resettled by someone else. There needs to be guarantees for the safe return of these people if they decide to return. We also increased our humanitarian assistance to those who fled to Armenia. We keep demanding international access and international presence in Nagorno Karabakh as part of these assurances for the people. We are also encouraging Azerbaijan authorities to launch really a meaningful, credible dialogue with the Karabakh Armenians, because the situation needs a solution and the solution cannot be that these people, more than 100,000 people simply leave their houses and their home basically,” he added.