Azernews.Az

The European Parliament called on Armenia to withdraw its armed forces from the Azerbaijani territories it occupies in a resolution passed on Thursday.
The resolution says that the European Union is pursuing a strategy of ensuring prosperity and restoring stability in the volatile South Caucasus region and aims at achieving a settlement of lingering conflicts. It said that though Azerbaijan, Armenia and Georgia – the three regional states – have been maintaining partnership with the EU as part of the European Neighborhood Policy (ENP) since 2004, no comprehensive regional strategy is in place.
The document says, further, that the EU’s policy on the South Caucasus has the following directions: conflict resolution, support to democracy and human rights protection, the rule of law, economic cooperation and social development.
"Europe is facing a complex geo-political situation in dealing with this region due to the conflicts over Upper (Nagorno) Garabagh and in Georgia, and there is also tension in Armenia-Turkey relations. Conflict situations in the region are unacceptable."
The European lawmakers also voiced concern over the rising military spending of the regional states.
The resolution also said the "frozen" conflicts are the biggest hurdle to economic and social development.
It also underlined the region’s great importance for European energy security.*