The European Parliament resolution entitled “The Need for an EU Strategy for the South Caucasus,” based on a report by Bulgarian Member of Parliament Mr. Evgeni Kirilov, was adopted on May 20, 2010. The resolution highlighted that the conflicts that existed at the time in the South Caucasus were the principal obstacle to economic and social development in the region since they hindered the full realization of the Eastern Partnership there. It stressed that a peaceful resolution of the conflicts was essential to regional stability. Therefore, while applauding the European Union’s initiative on the European Neighbourhood Policy and the Eastern Partnership, in this resolution, the European Parliament called on the European Union to increase its role to prevent any further military clashes and resolve the existing conflicts in the South Caucasus and thus transform the region into one of sustainable peace, stability, and prosperity, at the same time urging the South Caucasian republics to integrate with European policies.[1]

While referring to the need for the European Union to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the South Caucasus states, the resolution also pointed out that one of the main intentions of the Eastern Partnership is to support the consolidation of statehood and territorial integrity in the Eastern Partnership countries and abandon any unacceptable condition that might threaten their sovereignty and territorial integrity. In this respect, it gave its full support to the OSCE Minsk Group mediation efforts, the Basic Principles contained in the Madrid Document for the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia, and the Minsk Group Co-chair countries’ statement on July 10, 2009, on the occasion of the G8 Summit in L’Aquila. Furthermore, it demanded that all Armenian forces withdraw from the occupied territories belonging to Azerbaijan, together with the deployment of international forces, which would be organized by the UN Charter. The resolution also expressed its grave concern about the hundreds of thousands of refugees and IDPs who left their homes during the war between Armenia and Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh between 1988 and 1994, who were still displaced and denied their rights, including the right to return, property, and personal security. The resolution, therefore, called on the parties to the conflict “to intensify their peace talk efforts for the purpose of a settlement in the coming months, to show a more constructive attitude and to abandon preferences to perpetuate the status quo created by force and with no international legitimacy.”[2]

[1] “European Parliament resolution of 20 May 2010 on the need for an EU strategy for the South Caucasus (2009/2216(INI)),” Official Journal of the European Union, May 31, 2011, pp. 138-139.

[2] “European Parliament resolution of 20 May 2010,” p. 139.