The MEP and head of the PASOK Parliamentary Group in the European Parliament met with the Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan, Nikos Papandreou in Strasbourg last Wednesday.

The meeting took place at the Sofitel hotel where a working lunch was held on the occasion of the speech of the Armenian Prime Minister to the Plenary of the European Parliament.

During the meeting, the Prime Minister of Armenia pointed out again, as in the Plenary Session of the European Parliament, that we should “move firmly for peace with Azerbaijan”

Mr. Pashinyan then expressed his strong support for the principles of democracy, in the context of the multifaceted crises facing Armenia in recent years, particularly highlighting the serious consequences of the 2020-2021 war and the border conflict with Azerbaijan. Referring to Azerbaijan’s recent offensive and recapture of the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh, he said Baku did it “to fulfill its long-standing policy of ethnic cleansing.”

He also described the horrific humanitarian crisis caused by Azerbaijan’s long blockade of the Lachin Corridor and strongly rebuked Moscow in the wake of Baku’s latest attack.

Mr. Papandreou, for his part, pointed out that the recent events in Nagorno-Karabakh caused the dramatic and mass exodus of over 100,000 native residents of Armenian ethnicity. This constitutes a major humanitarian crisis and the European Union must come to the aid of these people.

We must ensure the conditions, he argued, for their smooth and safe repatriation, as well as their safe living, in the context of a comprehensive peace process between Armenia and Azerbaijan. He also emphasized that he himself will move in this direction in order to sensitize the European and International Community so that they can give their full support to bring peace to the region.