Azerbaijan severs ties with European Parliament over Nagorno-Karabakh resolution

Key facts

• EU Parliament adopted resolution on Armenia on Thursday with clauses on Nagorno-Karabakh.
• Azerbaijani Parliament voted Friday to suspend cooperation with the European Parliament.
• Baku began process of terminating membership in the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly.
• Resolution calls for safe, dignified return of all Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians under international guarantees.
• 19 Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians are held in Azerbaijan; some face war crimes trials.
• EU Ambassador Marijana Kujundžić was summoned and handed a note of protest.
• Azerbaijani Parliament accused European Parliament of 'Azerbaijanophobic and Islamophobic thinking'.

Diplomatic rupture over rights clauses

Azerbaijan’s parliament, the Milli Majlis, voted on Friday to suspend all cooperation with the European Parliament and begin the process of withdrawing from the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly, a forum for EU and Eastern Partnership countries. The move came a day after the European Parliament adopted a resolution on Armenia that included provisions on Nagorno-Karabakh that Baku deemed unacceptable. The resolution, passed on Thursday, reiterated support for the rights of Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians, including the protection of their identity, property and cultural heritage, and demanded their safe, unimpeded and dignified return under appropriate international guarantees. It also condemned Azerbaijan’s detention of Armenian prisoners of war, detainees and hostages, calling for their immediate and unconditional release.

Baku’s condemnation and protest note

The Azerbaijani Parliament issued a statement accusing the European Parliament of a 'decisive rejection of the norms and principles of international law and the concept of justice'. It claimed the body had consistently disregarded the 30-year occupation of Azerbaijani lands by Armenia, the destruction of hundreds of cities and villages, and the human rights of more than 1 million refugees and internally displaced persons. In a separate move, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry summoned EU Ambassador Marijana Kujundžić, condemning what it called 'unfounded and biased provisions' against of protest. The ministry asserted that Armenian residents had left the Nagorno-Karabakh region voluntarily, contradicting the resolution’s call for a right of return.

The resolution’s core demands

The European Parliament’s resolution specifically called for accountability for those responsible for the destruction of Armenian cultural and religious heritage and for an international assessment mission. It referenced the entire Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh — some 100,000 people — who fled after Azerbaijan’s final offensive into the region in 2023. On prisoners, the resolution noted that 19 Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians are being held in Azerbaijan, some still on trial, while others have recently received lengthy prison sentences on charges of war crimes and related offenses. The text demanded full respect for international humanitarian and human rights law.

Broader context of the resolution

The majority of the resolution focused on supporting democratic resilience in Armenia, but the Nagorno-Karabakh clauses drew the sharpest reaction from Baku. Other sections applauded the ongoing peace process between Armenia and Azerbaijan, efforts to normalise Armenia’s relations with Turkey, and expressed support for growing Armenia–EU ties. Azerbaijan’s parliament claimed that 'the European Parliament, where democratic values have collapsed, corruption and bribery have taken deep root, and which serves lobbying groups and various circles of interest, has turned into a structure where Azerbaijanophobic and Islamophobic thinking is consistently expressed'.

Implications for EU-Azerbaijan relations

The suspension of cooperation with the European Parliament and the withdrawal from Euronest mark a significant deterioration in ties between Baku and Brussels. The Azerbaijani parliament’s decision to begin terminating its membership in the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly effectively cuts off a key multilateral channel for dialogue. While the resolution is non-binding, the diplomatic fallout underscores the deep sensitivity in Baku over international scrutiny of its actions in Nagorno-Karabakh. The summoning of the of protest signal that Azerbaijan is prepared to escalate the dispute further.

What comes next

The European Parliament has not yet issued a formal response to Azerbaijan’s moves. The resolution itself calls for continued monitoring of the situation and further confidence-building measures between Armenia and Azerbaijan. With the peace process already fragile, this diplomatic rift could complicate EU-mediated efforts to finalise a peace treaty between the two South Caucasus neighbours. The fate of the 19 detained Armenians and the question of refugee return remain unresolved flashpoints.

The bottom line

• Azerbaijan’s parliament voted to suspend cooperation with the European Parliament and exit Euronest over a resolution on Nagorno-Karabakh.
• The EU resolution demands the safe return of 100,000 displaced Armenians and the release of 19 prisoners held by Azerbaijan.
• Baku accused the European Parliament of bias, Azerbaijanophobia, and ignoring 30 years of Armenian occupation of its lands.
• EU Ambassador Marijana Kujundžić was summoned and handed a protest note; Azerbaijan claimed Armenians left voluntarily.
• The diplomatic rupture threatens to undermine EU-brokered peace talks between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
• The resolution also supported Armenia-EU ties and normalisation of Armenia-Turkey relations.