MEP: EU should be more demanding in trying to protect the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh

The European Union should be more demanding in trying to protect the Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh, Member of the European Parliament Tineke Strik told Alpha News following a speech by the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen at the plenary session in Strasbourg.

According to her, the EU needs to protect Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh and, if needed, to help them fleeing safely.

“But we should not ensure that everyone needs to flee. I mean people should be able to live their lives there, and that should be our policy to make sure that these people are protected where they have always lived and where they need to be able to build their future,” the MEP noted.

Referring to the fact that the President of the European Commission did not address the situation of Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh, the MEP noted that Ursula von der Leyen was general in her words regarding the foreign policy.

“The head of the European Commission was indeed focusing on Putin and on the fact that we should become autonomous rather than depend on the autocratic regimes. She did not really touch upon the issue of Nagorno-Karabakh, or how we can make sure that we invest in human rights outside of the EU, and that we promote good governance and human rights. I think she should have done a better case. I understand you cannot mention all the conflicts and situations in the world, but she could have been a bit more convincing and consistent in making sure that we stand behind those people, outside of the EU, who really need our support and our protection,” she said.

Commenting on the fact that in the recent past, Ursula von der Leyen called Azerbaijan a reliable energy partner of the EU, Strik noted that “the EU has done a lot to reduce this dependence, but in reality, this the problem is still not solved.”

“We need to do much more. We can only become really demanding if we are completely independent from Russian gas. Of course, I really hope that we can make more steps into that direction to be able to fully support the people affected by these policies,” she said.