Former NATO chief Anders Rasmussen calls for int’l pressure on Azerbaijan to sign Armenia peace deal

Anders Fogh Rasmussen, former Secretary General of NATO and founder of Rasmussen Global, has called on the EU to use its strong energy levers against Azerbaijan to make it sign the peace agreement with Armenia.

Speaking at a press conference in Ijevan, Armenia, Rasmussen said that the EU maintains very close ties with Azerbaijan in the energy sector.

“In this regard I think the EU must use that lever effectively in order for Azerbaijan to sign the peace agreement with Armenia,” he said.

Rasmussen, a former Danish Prime Minister who led NATO from 2009 to 2014, expressed hope that the international community will exert maximum pressure on Azerbaijan in order to achieve the signing of the peace agreement.

“I think the international community will influence Baku and demand it to swiftly sign the agreement,” he said.

He said he shares the Armenian people’s disappointment that the international community’s calls on Azerbaijan remain without consequences. “I hope the international community has learned a lesson and will exert maximum pressure to make Azerbaijan sign the peace agreement,” Rasmussen said.

Days after Armenia and Azerbaijan announced that the negotiations around the peace treaty terms have been successfully concluded, the Azerbaijani government started a massive disinformation campaign falsely accusing Armenia of firing at its military positions across the border. The accusations have been numerously denied by the Armenian military. Furthermore, the Azerbaijani authorities refused to provide any evidence in support of their accusations. The report on border shootings was also denied by the EU monitoring mission in Armenia. 

On March 20, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan reiterated readiness to sign the peace agreement with Azerbaijan.