Europe has leverage and, if it wants to, will achieve the release of Armenian captives held in Azerbaijan. This was stated by Member of the European Parliament, Francois Xavier Bellamy (Republican Party), addressing the European Parliament during debates with the chair of the European Council and the European Commission.

"I was in Yerevan on the day of your visit to Ankara. I visited a hospital where the victims of the recent [Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh)] war are being treated. Meeting their gaze, I was ashamed to come from Europe. Shame on Europe for compromising on [Turkish president] Erdogan's actions! (…). For the friendly Armenian people of Europe, who have to resist alone against Erdogan's aggression, his jihadist mercenaries, cluster bombs.

I was at Yerablur [Military Pantheon in Yerevan], where thousands of young Armenians are buried, who died just because Erdogan decided that, for achieving success, violence is better than diplomacy. This in itself is a great crime committed by the head of state who denies the [Armenian] Genocide. This should already be enough to realize that this is a terrible precedent already, as we allow, without objection, NATO's second army to violate international law with impunity. And the only thing that worries Europe after what happened is the empty seat.

And Europe has the leverage to finally demand the return of all the [Armenian] captives in Baku, to end this crime. If Europe wants, it can achieve it. The time has come to realize that problems require solutions," Bellamy noted in particular.