Echoing the Armenian authorities of the Republic of Nagorno Karabakh, who had expressed the wish for 2017 that the Artsakh return to the negotiating table to settle the question of the status of territory disputed between Armenians and Azeris, MEP Frank Engel said That Azerbaijan should recognize the need to engage in direct negotiations with Karabakh, noting that there was no talk of any revival of a peace process that had never really been implemented. “It is clear that there can be no peace process as long as Azerbaijan does not agree to engage in direct discussions with Artsakh,” said the MEP. “And Armenia should insist heavily on the fact that its retention in the” Eurasian Union “led by Russia is conditioned by Russia’s attitude in the Caucasus conflicts,” added Engel, who recalled That “Baku is trying to destabilize the situation at the borders during the holiday season”.

“I suppose that the Azerbaijani attacks follow a strategy to make Armenians understand that they will never be able to celebrate their holidays in peace as long as Azerbaijan judges its situation unsatisfactory,” said Engel, recalling that When the President of the Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh Bako Sahakyan was to go to Brussels in November 2016 there had also been offensives against the Artsakh and the president had to cancel his visit because of the highly worrying context – Was exactly the objective pursued by Baku “. The armed forces of Azerbaijan on 29 December launched an undercover commando operation behind the Armenian lines stationed to the southeast of the town of Chinari in the province of Tavouch in northeastern Armenia. The Armenian forces rejected the assault, at the cost of the lives of at least three Armenian soldiers