Asbarez.com
Europe Lawmakers Demand that Baku Release Armenian Captives, Leave Armenia’s Territory
In two separate instances on Wednesday, lawmakers from Belgium and Luxembourg demanded that Azerbaijan release Armenian prisoners of war, leave territories it is occupying in Armenia and exercise restraint in its aggression against Armenia. They further emphasized that Baku must take steps to protect Armenian cultural heritage in Artsakh.
With the United Nations Climate summit, known as COP29, winding down in Baku, 20 Belgian lawmakers sent their demands to the Azerbaijani authorities, as well as the Belgian government delegation at COP29.
This effort, which was fully supported by the European Armenian Federation for Justice and Democracy, included lawmakers and other political leaders from major parties represented in Belgium’s national and regional legislatures.
In their statement, the Belgian officials emphasized that, as the host country, Azerbaijan has an obligation to demonstrate a tangible commitment to the fundamental principles of human rights, human dignity, and justice. Furthermore, they reiterated their demands that were outlined in resolutions regarding the Karabakh conflict passed in 2020.
In line with these resolutions as well as those adopted by the European Parliament since May 2021 and October 2024, the Belgian politicians urged the government of Azerbaijan to:
- Immediately and unconditionally release all Armenian prisoners of war, hostages and captives in Baku, including the military-political leadership of Nagorno Karabakh;
- Ensure that the Armenian cultural and religious heritage in Nagorno Karabakh stays intact, including the monasteries khachkars and refrain from their albanization as well as history revisionism;
- Refrain from threats and any aggression against the Republic of Armenia, withdraw the Azerbaijani military forces from the occupied territories of the Republic of Armenia.
The co-signers of the statement also called on the Belgian government to act “in the spirit of the aforementioned parliamentary resolutions while participating in COP29.”
In a related matter, Luxembourg Parliament approved a resolution condemning the Azerbaijani authorities violations against civil society representatives by curtailing their rights to freedom of speech.
The same resolution also demanded that Azerbaijan “immediately and unconditionally” release all illegally imprisoned persons—including Armenians being held captive in Baku.