During the occupation of our lands, the EU showed little activity on this issue, referring to the fact that the OSCE Minsk Group was handling it, and that the European Union had no direct involvement in the process. However, now the EU is actively engaged in the discussions, but unfortunately, some representatives in Brussels are demonstrating a biased approach. This unproductive stance creates distrust and distances the EU from the normalization process.
President Ilham Aliyev made these remarks while receiving the credentials of Julien de Frepont, the newly appointed Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Kingdom of Belgium to Azerbaijan.
The head of state also noted that in order to continue cooperation, it is important for the EU and Azerbaijan to avoid following France’s path and not fall under its influence. France’s policy regarding the normalization of Armenian-Azerbaijani relations has been and remains destructive.
Ilham Aliyev emphasized that one of the factors causing distrust in relations between Azerbaijan and the European Union was the extension of the “European observer mission” mandate on the border without Azerbaijan’s consent or consultations. He questioned the necessity of this move. In October 2022, in Prague, Azerbaijan agreed to a temporary presence of the mission for two months, consisting of a limited number of retired officers. However, when the mission’s term was extended, Azerbaijan was neither informed nor consulted. Currently, negotiations are underway regarding a further extension of the mission.
The president also expressed dissatisfaction with the behavior of the mission members, describing it as “binocular diplomacy,” which exceeded the norms of political culture. He stressed that Azerbaijan intends to raise this issue in its contacts with the European Union.
