European Parliament calls for closer relations with Armenia, invites Yerevan to mull applying for EU candidate

BRUSSELS. March 14 (Interfax) - The European Parliament on Wednesday adopted a resolution supporting Armenia should it consider applying for European Union candidate status and the country's desire to expand cooperation with the EU.

The document was passed in a 504-4 vote with 32 abstentions.

The European Parliament "considers that, should Armenia be interested in applying for candidate status and continuing on its path of sustained reforms consolidating its democracy, this could set the stage for a transformative phase in EU-Armenia relations," the resolution said.

The European Parliament "calls on the [European] Commission and the Council [of the EU] to actively support Armenia's desire for increased cooperation with the EU, not only in the area of economic partnership but also in political dialogue, people-to-people contacts, sectoral integration and security cooperation," it said.

The European Parliament also emphasized "the urgent need" to bolster defense cooperation between the EU and Armenia "while Armenia reconsiders its membership of the CSTO [Collective Security Treaty Organization]." The resolution also contains a call to respond to Yerevan's requests for assistance and to provide support to the Armenian army.

The resolution also says that the EU should be prepared to impose sanctions on any individuals and entities that "threaten the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Armenia."

The European Parliament also called on Azerbaijan to engage in dialogue with Karabakh's Armenians, "to ensure respect for their rights and guarantee their security" and "to release and commit to broad amnesty for all the inhabitants of Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia who continue to be in Azerbaijani custody."

Furthermore, the European Parliament backed the resumption of negotiations between Armenia and Azerbaijan on "all pending issues" and called on both sides to remain committed to "a lasting and peaceful settlement of the long-standing dispute, through dialogue and negotiations." The two countries' dialogue should be based on recognition of each other's sovereignty and territorial integrity and on the non-use of force principle, it said.

The European Parliament called on Turkey and other allies of Azerbaijan to contribute to the peace process.