Yerevan today hosted a session of the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly attended by members of the Eastern Partnership countries Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Ukraine and political groups of the European Parliament.

Demonstrators in Yerevan took to the streets today to protest the arrival of the Azerbaijani MPs.

The two Azerbaijani MPs arrived in Yerevan yesterday to attend the Euronest session. One of them, Tair Mirkishili, adressed the session and said that Azerbaijan had won the 2020 war and thus put an end to the Karabakh conflict.

Maria Karapetyan, who heads the Armenian National Assembly’s Euronest delegation, underlined that the Nagorno Karabakh issue has not yet been resolved.

She raised the plight of Armenian POWS held by Azerbaijan and the protection of Armenian cultural heritage in Artsakh.

Armenian MP Arman Yeghoyan reproached Mirkishili for promoting Azerbaijan’s Armenophobic policy.

The Euronest Parliamentary Assembly (EPA), formed in 2011 by the European Commission, is an inter-parliamentary forum bringing together members of the European Parliament and the national parliaments of Ukraine, Moldova, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia to forge closer political and economic ties with the European Union.

During a discussion on geopolitical security in the South Caucasus, MEP Helmut Geuking noted that the 2020 Artsakh war abruptly changed the situation in the region and expressed hope that the participation of Azerbaijani MPs would promote mutual understanding and trust.

Maria Karapetyan, who heads the Armenian National Assembly’s Euronest delegation, underlined that the Nagorno Karabakh issue has not yet been resolved.

She raised the plight of Armenian POWS held by Azerbaijan and the protection of Armenian cultural heritage in Artsakh.

Marina Kaljurand, who heads the Delegation for Relations with the South Caucasus in the European Parliament said the European Parliament has not recognized the results of the 2020 war.

“We have distinctly announced that war never can be considered an acceptable solution. If we really speak about stable, long-term peace, then it is possible to reach it through negotiations within the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group. War is not a solution. We, as members of the European Parliament, have come here to help you and we cannot resolve your problems instead of you. You should solve the problems, but we are ready to help you,” Kaljutrand said according to a transcript provided by the Armenian National Assembly.

During the discussion, ideas were exchanged on regional and international security and stability issues, regional developments, the reopening of transportation routes, the demarcation/delimitation of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, and dialogue between Armenia and Turkey.