On the agenda were two coming up EU meetings in Prague, namely the European Political Community meeting on 6 October and the Informal European Council on 7 October.

During the debate MPs Piri, Sjoerdsma, Amhaouch and Omtzigt put forward questions about the invitation of both Armenia and Azerbaijan to the European Political Community meeting. Mr. Sjoerdsma mentioned the attacks an war crimes committed by Azerbaijan and noted that the issues should be raised at this new European Forum in order to prevent it from being a podium where hypocrisy will get too much room.

MP Amhaouch asked the PM to reflect on the recent Azerbaijani attack on the sovereign territory of Armenia. .

MP Omtzigt stated that the Azerbaijani attacks have left hundreds dead, while the EU defends its gas deal with Azerbaijan. He wondered how the two matters connect with each other.

Answering the questions, Prime Minister Rutte called the violence between Azerbaijan and Armenia extremely worrying, and referred to the role of the EU to prevent further escalation and resume negotiations.

“Alleged violations of human rights and war crimes need to be investigated. The Netherlands support an independent, neutral and impartial investigation. This and the importance of an independent investigation was also discussed today in a conversation with the ambassador of Azerbaijan to the Netherlands,” Mr. Rutte said.

The Prime Minister noted, however, that sanctions are not considered “before the independent, neutral and impartial investigation his completed.”