EU Parliament Calls On EU Commission to Suspend Memorandum With Azerbaijan Over Russian Gas

The European Parliament is asking the European Commission to suspend the Memorandum of Understanding on a Strategic Energy Partnership between the EU and Azerbaijan until 2022.

This is stated in a resolution adopted by the European Parliament on Thursday.

In its resolution, the European Parliament condemned the unsatisfactory human rights situation in Azerbaijan and called on the EU to end its gas dependence on Baku.

Referring to the persistent human rights violations in Azerbaijan and fears that the increase in gas imports from Azerbaijan to the EU could be offset by Baku's imports of Russian gas, MEPs call for an end to the EU's dependence on gas exports from Azerbaijan. 

In addition, the resolution states that any future partnership agreement between the EU and Azerbaijan should be conditional on Baku releasing political prisoners, implementing legal reforms, improving the overall human rights situation in the country, and demonstrating a genuine willingness to hold peace talks with Armenia after Azerbaijan's offensive on Nagorno-Karabakh in 2023.

The resolution was adopted with 453 votes in favour and 31 against. Another 89 deputies abstained. 

The current European Commissioner for Energy, Kadri Simson, has recently stated that the EU is ready to completely cut off supplies from Moscow.

Meanwhile, the Ukrainian government says that a substitution scheme could be implemented under the guise of Azerbaijani gas transit: Azerbaijan may buy Russian gas for itself to free up volumes for imports to the EU.