MEP: The tragedy is that the EU is unable to apply sanctions against Azerbaijan

The energy factor is one of the reasons why the Artsakh issue disappeared from the political agenda of Brussels and Strasbourg, German Member of the European Parliament Lars Patrick Berg told Alpha News.

“Because of the war in Ukraine, the European Union has changed its energy policy, and this can be seen from the statement of the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, a year ago, when in Baku she called President Aliyev a ‘reliable partner.’ The EU is dependent on natural resources, especially oil and gas, and political decision-makers do not want to risk stopping the energy transfer and distribution in the EU. Unfortunately, as I noted, the Artsakh problem has disappeared from the general political agenda,” Berg noted.

According to him, the heads of countries and ministers in Europe reacted to the tragedy that befell the Armenians of Artsakh and noted that what happened was unacceptable. “The French President defended the Armenian position, as well as French MPs and mayors. The US Congress also expressed solidarity with the Armenian position, and even in the EU, there are many friends of Artsakh. But the point is that we need to collect votes and exert pressure on Azerbaijan. I advocated for imposing sanctions on Azerbaijan in Brussels and Strasbourg; this is very difficult to do. And in the near future, I don’t see the possibility of the EU introducing sanctions; this is sad and this is a tragedy,” the MEP said.

He added that the EU and member states should provide assistance, especially for refugees from Artsakh.