Azerbaijan fails to abide by international commitments: MEP concerned over Armenian POWs  

Member of the European Parliament Lars Patrick Berg (Identity and Democracy Group, Germany) has expressed concern over Azerbaijan's failure to abide by international commitments to complete the return of Armenian prisoners of war (POWs).

In an interview with ARMENPRESS, the MEP also proposed hinted the possibility of country's possible assistance in the UN efforts towards forcing Azerbaijan to honor its international commitments.

The full interview is provided below:

Mr. Lars Patrick Berg, one of the points of the trilateral statement on Artsakh deals with the exchange of prisoners of war, hostages and other detained persons, but Azerbaijan seems to be hindering this process. Azerbaijan has already returned more than 40 Armenian captives, and Armenia has returned prisoners of war to Azerbaijan, but the process is not over yet. Despite the joint efforts by Armenia and Russia, there are still Armenian captives in Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan either delays or does not implement the decisions by the European Court of Human Rights. First of all, what is your opinion on this attitude by Azerbaijan?

It is regrettable that Azerbaijan has chosen not to honor its obligations under international treaties. I understand representations have already been made to the United Nations on this matter, and Azerbaijan should desist from undermining the agreements. Prisoners of War have protected rights, and Azerbaijan's attempts to re-designate these prisoners simply demonstrate bad faith.

What do you think the European Parliament can do in support of the immediate return of Armenian captives from Azerbaijan? What role can you personally and the other MEPs, play?

The European Parliament probably has a limited role at the present time. Some pressure can be applied, especially through the inter-parliamentary groups, but in reality I think the UN is the right forum for this to be discussed.

And what is the opinion on this issue in Germany? Some Armenian opposition figures think that in addition to the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairing countries, many other countries too, should invest efforts with corresponding statements to pressure Azerbaijan into returning the Prisoners of War. What role can Germany play?

There is obviously a great deal of sympathy within Germany for the plight of the prisoners of war, and for the unwarranted attack on Artsakh perpetrated by Azerbaijan. Germany can play a role in supporting a concerted effort within the United Nations to force Azerbaijan to honor its international commitments, and can do the same within the European Union, although this will have a limited effect.

After the recent war unleashed by Azerbaijan, the recognition of Artsakh's independence has become an agenda issue again. Will you insist that Germany recognize the independence of Artsakh?

I have every sympathy for Artsakh's claims of independence, but I am not sure that now is the right time to push this agenda. The priority has to be the release of the prisoners of war, and a negotiation that ensures Azerbaijan (and Turkey) abide by the agreements. At that point we can get into the detail of the future status of Artsakh.

Azerbaijan committed many war crimes during the war, using banned phosphorous weapons, targeting the civilian population and civilian objects, without receiving an adequate response so far by the international community. What opinion do you have on that score? How should Azerbaijan be legally punished at the international level?

My understanding is that these crimes are being investigated.

The status of Artsakh has not been resolved yet. That's an issue pertaining to the  OSCE Minsk Group format, but Azerbaijan is not inclined to go for it. How would you comment on the political behavior of Azerbaijan? What is your opinion on the status issue?

I think the Minsk Group has been struggling to come up with workable solutions for some times, and Azerbaijan's intractable position hasn't made things any easier for them. I hope that Azerbaijan will see the value of behaving reasonably, and the people of Artsakh will be able to choose their future for themselves. I have to say on past performance this may not happen anytime soon.