Baku commented on Strategic Agenda between EU and Armenia

The prioritization of a number of issues in the document titled “Strategic Agenda for EU–Armenia Partnership,” signed following the 6th meeting of the EU–Armenia Partnership Council held on 2 December 2025 in Brussels, is a matter of serious concern, as they distort the realities of the post-conflict period and run counter to the overall peace agenda between Azerbaijan and Armenia.

1news.media informs, citing Azerbaijani MFA, The inclusion of issues targeting Azerbaijan in this bilateral document, which sets the strategic priorities between the EU and Armenia for the next seven years, is unacceptable and, among others, negatively affect the prospects of Azerbaijan–EU relations.

The wording in the introductory part of the document and several other sections such as “Karabakh Armenians displaced following Azerbaijan’s military operations,” in reference to Armenian residents who voluntarily migrated from Azerbaijan to Armenia following their refusal of reintegration plans proposed by Azerbaijan, as a partnership priority between the EU and Armenia, and the classification of those people as “refugees” is a vivid example of bias against Azerbaijan.

Moreover, the support for full, immediate and effective implementation of all relevant rulings of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) expressed within the section on possible EU contributions to the regional normalisation processes, clearly refers to the well-known claims brought by Armenia against Azerbaijan.

While it is entirely irrational to bring an issue of purely bilateral nature that directly concerns Azerbaijan and Armenia into an agenda with another party, such an approach also disregards the fact that Azerbaijan likewise has its own legitimate court proceedings against Armenia.

This provision in the EU-Armenia document directly contradicts with the peace process, considering an article regarding elimination of these claims in the peace agreement initialed with participation of the leaders of Azerbaijan, United States, and Armenia in Washington D.C., and raises serious questions about the proclaimed intention of the Armenian side.

Identification of Armenians, who are accused of and sentenced for crimes against humanity and military crimes, as “prisoners of war,” and prioritisation of their release is a serious distortion of realities, and is unacceptable.

While the EU-Armenia document enshrine multiple provisions that support Armenia’s lacking regional consensus “crossroads of peace” initiative, it is concerning that not a single reference was made to “Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity” (TRIPP) project, a crucially important arrangement in the normalization process, reached during the 8 August Washington D.C. Summit. This raises questions with regard to seriousness of Armenia to implement their commitments within the agreement on TRIPP, co-signed by the Prime Minister of Armenia in Washington D.C., and about the proclaimed support of the EU to this project.

Given that Article 7 of the initialed draft agreement between Azerbaijan and Armenia obliges not to allow the deployment of any third party’s forces along their shared border, another serious concern is the decision to preserve and fully operationalise the EU Monitoring Mission in Armenia (EUMA), which has been used as a propaganda tool against Azerbaijan, instead of bringing its activities to an end.

Among the listed priorities, the emphasis on military and defense issues also serves to promote Armenia’s militarization.

The issues outlined above, which revive the elements of the former conflict despite the positive progress achieved in the post-conflict normalization since 8 August, cast serious doubt on Armenia’s intentions. Our expectation is that Armenia and EU will take concrete steps to remove these harmful provisions, which do not reflect the current realities. For our part, we will continue to monitor the situation closely and draw the necessary conclusions.