The European Parliament on October 24 denounced what it called violations of human rights and international law by Azerbaijan, saying Europe needs to end its dependency on gas from the Caucasus nation.
In a tersely worded resolution, 453 MEPs voted in favor of the statement that condemned Azerbaijan's "repression" of activists, journalists, and opposition leaders at home and abroad, which has "noticeably intensified" ahead of Baku hosting the 29th United Nations Climate Change conference (COP29) next month.
"Azerbaijan's ongoing human rights abuses are incompatible with its hosting of the climate conference, and [we] encourage EU leaders such as European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to use the gathering as an opportunity to address the country's poor track record in this field," a press release from the European Parliament said.
"Parliament also calls on the government in Baku to cease all forms of repression in and beyond Azerbaijan, release all persons arbitrarily detained and drop all politically motivated charges."
Oil-and-gas powerhouse Azerbaijan was controversially granted hosting duties for the 29th UN Climate Change conference, known as COP29, despite critics' concerns about its democracy and rights record.
Criticism of President Ilham Aliyev's administration has intensified in recent months, with nearly 60 U.S. lawmakers signing a letter earlier this month that urged Secretary of State Antony Blinken to "press for the immediate and unconditional release of all political prisoners, hostages, and POWs, including ethnic Armenians, to enable a more conducive environment for successful diplomacy at COP29."
Aliyev, who has rejected criticism of his country's human rights record, called the letter "disgusting."
The resolution approved by the MEPs also called for the normalization of relations between Azerbaijan and neighboring Armenia and the signing of a long-awaited peace agreement.
Azerbaijan retook control of the Nagorno-Karabakh region in September 2023 following a lightning offensive. Since then, Azerbaijan and Armenia have held negotiations on a peace treaty that the two sides said in September was 80 percent complete.
Azerbaijan lost Nagorno-Karabakh -- an ethnic Armenian enclave that lies fully within Azerbaijani territory -- to Armenian forces in the 1990s.