B3-1284, 1288, 1294, 1316 and 1327/93

Resolution on Armenia and Azerbaijan

The European Parliament,

-having regard to its previous resolutions on Nagorno-Karabakh,

A.having regard to the efforts made by the Community and its Member States to deliver emergency and humanitarian aid to both Armenia and Azerbaijan,

B.whereas the Community has made repeated appeals to Turkey to allow the transport of humanitarian aid into Armenia,

C.whereas the protracted conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh, which belongs to Azerbaijan, but whose population is predominantly Armenian, has been developing in recent months into open warfare involving growing numbers of troops and weapons,

D.whereas this conflict between the armed forces of Nagorno-Karabakh and Azerbaijan may spread and other countries may become involved following the territorial gains made by Armenian forces in Azerbaijan,

E.having regard to the reports of troop movements, in Turkey and Iran respectively, towards Armenia's and Azerbaijan's borders, following offensives into Azerbaijani territory by local Armenian forces in Nagorno-Karabakh,

F.having regard to the UN condemnations and the warnings issued by neighbouring powers (Russia, Turkey, Iran) to the armed forces of Nagorno-Karabakh, which are advancing, town by town, far beyond the limits of the area they are supposed to be defending,

1.Reaffirms its support for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the states in the region;

2.Urges the Armenian authorities to stop their attacks on Azerbaijani towns and villages and to withdraw from the Azerbaijani territory which they occupy, and calls on the Azerbaijanis to refrain from renewing their attacks against Nagorno-Karabakh;

3.Urges the neighbouring powers to refrain from any intervention which might exacerbate the situation and draw other countries into the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan;

4.Calls on all the parties concerned to support all efforts to consolidate the provisional ceasefire between Azerbaijan and the Nagorno-Karabakh authorities, as a prelude to full implementation of the relevant UN Security Council resolutions;

5.Recognises the difficulty of reaching an agreement on a settlement, given the lack of consideration for the interests of the Armenian ethnic group of Nagorno-Karabakh in the former Soviet Republic of Azerbaijan and the hatred engendered by the use of force by both sides over many years;

6.Endorses all efforts to find a peaceful settlement that are geared to a lasting compromise;

7.Regards efforts by the international community to mediate as a necessary element of a peaceful settlement and refers to the particular responsibility of the successor states of the former Soviet Union;

8.Urges the Member States and the Commission to use their influence in their relations with Armenia and Azerbaijan to encourage them to cease hostilities and seek a peaceful solution;

9.Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Commission, the Council, EPC and the Governments of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Iran and Russia.