A group of deputies representing all factions of the European Parliament have issued a joint statement in response to criticism, negative reactions and threats from Azerbaijan and Russia regarding Armenian-French military cooperation.

In the statement, the deputies emphasized that having an army armed with combat and modern military equipment is the sovereign right of any country, Armenpress reports.

The members of the European Parliament noted that “the accusations of the Russian and Azerbaijani regimes against Armenia that the latter is provoking a conflict in the South Caucasus prove once again that there is a conspiracy between the two countries, which led to the ethnic cleansing of more than 140,000 Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh already in September 2023.”

The lawmakers expressed surprise that such authoritarian and aggressive countries as Azerbaijan and Russia condemn EU member France, seeking to use existing differences, contradictions within or between countries as a tool to achieve their own goals.

“This can under no circumstances be acceptable to the European Union. The time has come to impose sanctions against [Azerbaijani President Ilham] Aliyev's dictatorial regime for its destructive actions that undermine regional peace and security, as well as for its human rights violations. We strongly condemn the official statements of Baku and Moscow and call on the European Commission and the EEAS to immediately respond to this situation,” the joint statement said.