Co-rapporteurs of the European Parliament on issues of Armenia and Azerbaijan Traian Basescu and Zhelena Zovko as well as Marina Kaljurand, Chair of the Parliamentary Cooperation Committee with Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan, issued a joint statement on the construction of a new highway between Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh.
The statement in particular reads: "As a matter of principle, we support projects that foster regional cooperation, connectivity and people-to-people contacts in the Eastern Neighbourhood.
That said, the decision to build this highway has been taken without the consent of the competent authorities of Azerbaijan in violation of international law. In addition, it could symbolically entrench the illegal occupation of Nagorno-Karabakh and of its surrounding districts.
Therefore, we very much deplore this initiative as it does not help to create conditions conducive to trust, peace and reconciliation. We reiterate our unwavering support to the efforts of the Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group and their 2009 Basic Principles.
For this mediation to have a chance of success, we call on the authorities of Armenia and Azerbaijan to step up their commitment, in good faith, to the negotiation on the peaceful resolution of the conflict within the internationally recognized borders of Azerbaijan".
