Member of European Parliament Michał Szczerba calls for stronger economic ties with Armenia

Member of the European Parliament Michał Szczerba from Poland has called for deepening economic ties with Armenia in order for the country to achieve deeper integration with the West.

Szczerba made the remarks in his speech during European Parliament debates of the motion for a resolution on “Unlawful detention and sham trials of Armenian hostages, including high-ranking political representatives from Nagorno-Karabakh, by Azerbaijan.”

The resolution, which will be put up to vote on March 13, calls for the unconditional release and safe return of all the prisoners of war, hostages and other detained individuals unlawfully detained in Azerbaijan, strongly condemns the shams trials brought against them in violations of due process, and calls for a ban on entry to the EU institutions for Azerbaijani officials responsible for unlawful detentions and human rights violations, among others. 

Szczerba said he believes that Armenia changed its foreign policy direction after the 2023 Azeri offensive in Nagorno-Karabakh which led to the ethnic cleansing and forced displacement of the region’s entire Armenian population.

“The Armenian authorities decided to change their foreign policy vector after what happened in Nagorno-Karabakh. If we want deeper integration of Armenia with the West, then we must deepen our economic ties with them. We must be more active and visible in Armenia,” he said.

He said that the issue of the Armenian captives in Azerbaijan must not be ignored.

“The reports about the Armenians held in Baku cannot be ignored. We must fight for European values, human dignity and rule of law,” the MEP added.