Op-ed by Ambassador Tigran Balayan on the Online Opinion Page of the Dutch Broadcasting Foundation

01 August, 2021

In an Op-ed published on the Online Opinion Page of the Dutch Public Television, Ambassador Tigran Balayan referred to the provocative actions of the dictator of Azerbaijan and the inadequate actions of the EU, which creates preconditions for Baku to provoke a new war.

EU’s inaction and pleasantry with the dictator leads to new war

Since the end of the Azerbaijani-Turkish 44-day aggression against Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh), Azerbaijan has been constantly violating the declaration that ended hostilities. The EU inaction and pleasantry with the one of the world's most corrupt and oppressive regimes, that reigns in Baku provokes new military clashes, claiming young lives.

As I have warned many times, inspired by impunity, the Azerbaijani dictator will continue its aggressive actions, and has already put the region on the brink of a new war.

With no condemnation for the Human Rights Watch-documented war crimes, Aliyev is now proudly declaring that he has solved the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict through force, without even thinking about the consequences and convinced that he is immune from any kind of punitive action.

In an attempt to mislead the international community and to justify its wrongdoings, Azerbaijan started to put forward mirror accusations, as it is the best way to distract from its actions. Furthermore, in response to the demand of the international community to release all the prisoners of war and civilians taken as hostages, Baku started fake trials based on fabricated accusations against them. It has put forward a fake agenda of landmine maps, in contrast to its obligation to return all the prisoners of war and civilians taken as hostages, according to the November 9 Statement and under the international humanitarian law.

This fake agenda was further developed by encouraging statements of the EU officials “applauding the exchange of minefield maps with the prisoners of war”, visiting Aliyev in Baku and expressing readiness to continue “business as usual” with a dictator, whose corrupt allies in European countries are sentenced by the European courts for being on Aliyev’s payroll for years.

Inspired by the impunity Ilham Aliyev reinforced his territorial claims against Armenia by promising the return to “the land of the ancestors”. Moreover, he voices these claims standing right next to the President of the European Council and then “praises” him for not using the phrases “status” and “Nagorno-Karabakh” and indicates that Armenia must make conclusions.

This clearly manifests, that the “business as usual” approach and the EU’s neutral stance and “bothsidism” are not only failing to contribute to the promotion of stability, but are encouraging Azerbaijan to be more aggressive in both its rhetoric and actions. Aliyev feels he is free to do anything he pleases, he is confident nobody will stop him, there is no line he won’t cross.

The problem is that the EU and its member states do not take seriously Aliev’s continuous threats and warmongering, just as they were doing with the threats coming from ISIS or Taliban, or when Armenia was warning that the dictator is going to start an aggressive war a year ago, and that the security and stability of the region are at stake. Should the EU raise a strong voice to protect its own values then, the dictator would not be so comfortable in ignoring those values in such an obvious manner.

It should be crystal clear for decision makers in Brussels and elsewhere that any visit to Baku and any pledge to continue “business as usual” with the Aliyev regime serves as an impetus to further deterioration of the situation, to provocative and aggressive actions. In this line the Ambassador's deplorable propaganda trip to ethnically cleansed Shushi has a unique responsibility.

Yet, unlike the EU’s policy of “bothsidism” and “neutrality” Azerbaijan is not only doing exactly opposite to the calls and expectations of Europe, but also joining Turkish provocations in Cyprus, by sending recently a high-level delegation to the occupied Northern part and pledging to recognize it, thus manifesting a vivid disregard to the EU, its values and policy.

It is also noteworthy that Aliev is trying to hinder the deployment of an independent observer mission between Armenia and Azerbaijan to monitor the situation, as it has blocked the process in 2016. There is a very obvious explanation for this. One does not need monitors or observers, when preparing a new war. He is the one, who provokes and escalates and prepares new hostilities.

Europeans should take seriously the extremely dangerous situation in the region and to act in accordance. They should stand together in protecting the values in which they believe and this requires strong steps to curb aggressive actions. The EU sanctions, as required by the motions of the Tweede Kamer, are the only option to force the leader of Azerbaijan to respect the international law.

We would not bring back men and boys, women and children, who had been killed by the Aliyev regime, but we can make sure that Ilham Aliyev, his entourage, and other abusers of human rights like him face justice.

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