(MENAFN- AzerNews)
Elnur Enveroglu read more The European Parliament (EP) is preparing to pass a slanderous,
biased, and non-objective anti-Azerbaijani resolution. The
document, believed to be ratified in the next few days, once again
proves the hostility of the EU Parliament against Azerbaijan.
It is awkward that the initial draft motion of the biased
resolution cynically mentions allegations, such as Azerbaijan's
alleged military aggression against Armenia, the alleged 'blockade'
of the Lachin road, as well as the 'Minsk Group', 'a status', 'in
and around Nagorno-Karabakh', official Baku has repeatedly said was
thrown into the dustbin of history.
Commenting on this preposterous resolution, Neil Watson, the
British journalist, said those who are debating the adoption of the
resolution are all predisposed to the conflict from an Armenophile
perspective, either to attract favor from members of the Armenian
diaspora in their home countries, particularly, in the case of MEP
Natalie Loiseau of France or because they come from a
fundamentalist Christian perspective, representing the beliefs of a
Christian electorate at home.
In an interview with Azernews , the journalist
said that the newly-proposed resolution does not currently reflect
the official policy of the EU.
“As I mentioned earlier, it should first be understood that this
is a Joint Motion for a Resolution, and will be debated for
adoption this week. All the supporting MEPs are from the S&D,
Renew, Verts/ALE, ECR, and Left Groups.”
Giving some more details about the reason behind, why the EU
Parliament is trying to undermine relations of Azerbaijan with the
EU despite the mutual interests in the supply of energy, the
British pundit explained that the EU Parliament behaves spitefully
towards Azerbaijan because of two main factors: religion and
lobbying.
“In my view, the basis of this inherently pro-Armenian
perspective is partly religious, as the EU comprises Christian
countries, and they consider Armenia to be a bastion of
Christianity amidst a sea of Islam, overlooking the reality of
Azerbaijani religious tolerance; it is to placate electorates in
their home countries and also because they, with the waning role of
Russia in the region, consider that Armenia will be easier to
manipulate and transform into an outpost of the EU in the South
Caucasus. It is also due to the success of Armenian propaganda and
the successful integration of Armenians into society across Europe.
Paradoxically, the issue of the Russian 'peacekeepers' and their
proposed replacement with an OSCE contingent under the aegis of the
UN is only mentioned in relation to Armenia, inferring that
Azerbaijan is an ally of Russia and not Armenia, whereas the
reverse is the case.”
Having mentioned the EU-Azerbaijan economic relations, Neil
Watson says this interest lasts to a certain extent, where it ends
up at the peak of its pro-Armenian adherence.
“According to the official description of EU-Azerbaijani
relations, the main basis of collaboration is as an 'important
energy supplier to the EU'. Naturally, its inherently pro-Armenian
perspective undermines this, to some extent, but it is in the
interests of both sides to continue this collaboration. Azerbaijan
needs new markets for its gas and, given the Russo-Ukrainian
conflict, South East Europe needs this energy more than ever.”
The pundit also touched on the poor role of Azerbaijan in
lobbyism activities at the EU Parliament and elsewhere. He said
Armenian lobbyism relatively prevails in the western world, in
which we see how European policymakers pamper a handful of Armenian
separatists abroad.
“On a political level, Azerbaijan still needs to win the peace.
The vast majority of MEPs only know the Armenian narrative. They
need to understand the legal basis and background of the Karabakh
conflict, they need to comprehend Armenian war crimes against
Azerbaijan, and they need to know that the enemies of the EU are
the enemies and neighbors of Azerbaijan - Russia, and Iran. A great
deal of education and lobbying has to be done on behalf of
Azerbaijan. More MEPs need to be supportive and vocal on its
behalf, not solely concentrating on hydrocarbons, but emphasizing
its stability, tolerance, and affiliation with the west.”
---
Elnur Enveroglu is AzerNews' staff journalist, follow him on
@elnurmammadli1