We express our strong objection to the unfounded, unobjective and biased resolution titled ‘Unlawful Detention and Sham Trials of Armenian Hostages’, adopted by the European Parliament on 13 March 2025. This resolution disregards the principles of law and justice while failing to acknowledge Azerbaijan’s legitimate right to prosecute individuals involved in serious crimes. Furthermore, it deliberately overlooks the historical context and the immense suffering endured by the Azerbaijani people as the result of Armenia’s unlawful actions over the past  three decades.

For nearly 30 years, Armenia occupied the internationally recognised territories of Azerbaijan, committing countless war crimes against peaceful Azerbaijani civilians. Those crimes included ethnic cleansing, severe human rights violations and the systematic destruction of the Azerbaijani heritage. The European Parliament has consistently ignored those atrocities, including the Khojali Genocide where Armenian forces  brutally massacred 613 innocent individuals including children, women and elderly people. The fate of almost 4,000 missing Azerbaijani civilians remains unknown, yet the European Parliament’s selective and biased approach chooses to overlook those crimes in favour of a distorted narrative that unjustly targets Azerbaijan.

Having restored her territorial integrity and sovereignty in accordance with international law and UN Charter, Azerbaijan possesses the full legal right to hold accountable those responsible for grave offences that include armed separatism, crimes against peace and humanity, war crimes and terrorism. Allegations such as ‘a blockade’ and ‘ethnic cleansing’ in 2023 levelled against Azerbaijan in the resolution are nothing other than politically motivated distortions designed to shift attention away from the true perpetrators of injustice, namely, the Armenian forces that occupied Azerbaijani lands for decades, forcibly displaced 750,000 Azerbaijanis and reduced entire captured towns and villages to rubble.

It should be mentioned that the integration of the Garabagh Region into Azerbaijan’s constitutional framework was caried out in full compliance with international law. The vast majority of the ethnic Armenian residents chose voluntarily to relocate. In this context, the calls of the European Parliament for ‘sanctions’, ‘suspension’ of agreements and diplomatic restrictions represent an unacceptable attempt to interference in Azerbaijan’s internal affairs. Rather than promote regional stability, such politically motivated actions only serve to inflame tensions and undermine the prospects for lasting peace.

Azerbaijan remains steadfast in her commitment to justice, international law and the regional peace agenda. No foreign interference or unjust accusations will deter us from upholding the rule of law and ensuring accountability for the crimes committed against our country. The  individuals tried currently are not prisoners of war but criminals who violated Azerbaijani law and must be held accountable through a fair and transparent judicial process. It is imperative that all the parties acknowledge the reality that Azerbaijan is exercising her sovereign right to protect her people and territory from illegal occupation and armed separatism. Thus, the European Parliament’s resolution is not an effort to promote peace or justice but, rather, one to incite hostility and advance a one-sided political agenda.

Considering all the above mentioned, we call upon the European Parliament to respect  the principles of justice and sovereignty instead of engaging in politically driven motions that undermine peace and reconciliation. Only through fairness and mutual understanding can true stability be achieved in the South Caucasus.