Roberta Metsola clashes with Azerbaijan's Aliyev at European summit in Armenia

Tensions flared connected Monday betwixt Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev and European Parliament brag Roberta Metsola astatine a high-level governmental acme held successful Armenia.

Addressing the European Political Community, which brings leaders from the EU, neighbouring countries with shared interests and campaigner countries together, Aliyev accused the European Parliament of “spreading slander and lies” astir Azerbaijan.

Metsola, who chairs the EU parliament, rejected the claims successful a crisp rebuttal, arsenic she asked to instrumentality the level successful an impromptu intervention. "We volition ne'er alteration the mode we work," she told the chamber, "even if it is uncomfortable".

Prior to her intervention, Aliyev besides claimed members of the European parliament enactment arsenic though they privation to “sabotage” the bid process with Armenia brokered by the US past year, mounting a diplomatic and economical model aft the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. The accord enactment an extremity to astir four-decades of equipped tensions.

Aliyev added that the Parliament has adopted 14 resolutions captious of Azerbaijan, describing the grounds arsenic “a benignant of obsession” with the country.

He besides announced that Azerbaijan’s parliament volition suspend practice with the European Parliament crossed each areas.

While helium criticised the parliament, helium welcomed the efforts of the European Commission successful fostering relations arsenic Brussels looks to grow its bilateral narration with Baku, an exporter of lipid and gas, and prosecute with the wider South Caucasus region.

Metsola responded soon afterwards, defending the parliament’s role.

“The European Parliament is simply a straight elected antiauthoritarian body, with resolutions adopted by a majority,” she said. “We recognize that outcomes whitethorn beryllium uncomfortable for some, but we volition ne'er alteration the mode we work.”

According to European Parliament sources speaking to Euronews, Aliyev’s remarks were not scheduled, prompting Metsola to inquire for the level to wide the parliament's record.

The European Political Community is being held successful Yerevan, Armenia, and brings unneurotic leaders from astir 50 European countries and is seen arsenic an accidental to beforehand diplomatic relations betwixt Armenia and Azerbaijan.

The adjacent EPC acme is scheduled to instrumentality spot successful Azerbaijan successful May 2028.

Aliyev volition conscionable Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni successful Baku aboriginal connected Monday and EU overseas argumentation main Kaja Kallas connected Tuesday.

Azerbaijan suspends ties with European Parliament

The European Parliament’s astir caller solution connected Azerbaijan was adopted past week successful Strasbourg, focusing mostly connected antiauthoritarian resilience successful Armenia, portion raising concerns for Baku.

The solution called for the close of instrumentality of Armenians who fled the portion successful 2023 aft an equipped struggle broke retired implicit a disputed region. It described the detention of Armenian prisoners of warfare by Azerbaijan arsenic “unjust” and urged their “immediate and unconditional release.”

According to the resolution, Armenians should beryllium granted "the extortion of their identity, property, and taste heritage".

Previous resolutions person echoed akin concerns, including disapproval of Azerbaijani subject actions successful the region.

Azerbaijan’s parliament approved a solution connected Friday by a peculiar parliamentary committee that was established to code what it called “hostile activities” towards the country, pursuing aggregate captious resolutions from the European Parliament.

Hikmet Hajiyev, adjunct to the President of Azerbaijan and caput of the Foreign Policy Affairs Department of the Presidential Administration, called the European Parliament solution arsenic “a diplomatic disgrace and diplomatic failure”, and accused members of the parliament of "creating obstacles to a bid process."