The European Union should not see Azerbaijan as a reliable partner for gas supplies, says European Parliament President Roberta Metsola: transmits TASS. According to him, this is connected with Baku’s operation in Nagorno-Karabakh.
“We cannot move from one unreliable energy partner to another. This is our position,” Metsola explained on the sidelines of an informal EU summit in Spain.
After the start of Russia’s military special operation against Ukraine at the end of February 2022, some European states increased cooperation with Azerbaijan on energy issues. In response to this standoff, the EU sought to reduce its dependence on gas supplies from Russia. At the same time, Baku became one of the alternative options of European states.
On September 19, the Azerbaijani Ministry of Defense announced the start of a local anti-terrorism operation in Nagorno-Karabakh. The ministry said the aim of the operation would be to suppress “large-scale provocations” in Nagorno-Karabakh, as well as to disarm and withdraw Armenian army units from the region. On September 20, Baku and Karabakh agreed to a ceasefire with the help of Russian peacekeepers. According to the agreement, Karabakh’s armed forces will be disbanded and their heavy equipment will be withdrawn and delivered. The implementation of this process will be monitored by the Russian peacekeeping mission.
The Baku operation sparked a wave of protests in Armenia calling for the resignation of current officials; More than 100 thousand internally displaced persons from Karabakh came to the republic. Azerbaijan’s actions sparked criticism within the EU and calls for sanctions.
Previously in the EU accepted Review of relations with Azerbaijan on the Karabakh issue.