European Commission: Turkey Supported Azerbaijan During April Clashes in Karabakh

BRUSSELS — “Turkey was vocal in its support for Azerbaijan during clashes in April 2016 in Nagorno-Karabakh,” the European Commission said in a report on Turkey, published on November 9.

The 100-page review claimed Turkey had regressed in its eligibility to join the bloc.

The Commission Staff Working Document highlighted a series of problem areas, including the legal situation in Turkey, which it described as being of “grave concern”.

It warned that a range of measures, introduced by president Recep Tayipp Erdogan following the failed military coup on July 2015 were “not in line with European standards”.

The report slammed Ankara and highlighted “serious allegations of human rights violations” as well as “disproportional use of force” by the security services.

The authors note that “the adoption in May of a law allowing the immunity of a large number of deputies to be lifted and the ensuing detentions and arrests of several HDP Members of Parliament, including the two Co-Chairs, in November is a matter of grave concern.”

The report added that “the Armenian Patriarchate’s proposal to open a university department for Armenian language and clergy has been pending for several years. Similar demands have been made by different Christian communities who sought to train clergy.

The report also reminded that the 2009 protocols on normalization of relations with Armenia are not yet ratified.

Full text of the Report