Member of European Parliament Ioannis Kasoulides criticized the Azeri President’s bellicose statements during Wednesday hearings on Nagorno-Karabakh held at the Committee on Foreign Affairs.

“This kind of rhetoric, the arms race, tension and incidents in the line of contact can get the situation out of control, as it happened in Georgia on 2008,” said EPP Group Vice-Chairman.

“While the Madrid Principles on the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict call for a future determination of its final legal status through a legally binding expression of will, Mr Aliyev is attempting to impose preconditions by declaring in every occasion that Karabakh will not be granted any other status than ‘autonomy’ in the framework of Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity,” he added.

According to him, the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan must get as popular support as possible to feel bold enough to proceed into an agreement. The MEP also stressed that Stepanakert’s approval will be necessary for Armenia.