The EU has strongly condemned Iran's drone strikes in Azerbaijan's Nakhchivan, calling the attacks on civilian infrastructure unacceptable and warning of the risk of further escalation of the conflict beyond the Middle East, EU Spokesperson for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Anouar El Anouni said, responding to a question from Report at a press briefing in Brussels.
"We have been very clear. We condemn Iran's indiscriminate strikes as they took place in the Gulf, in Türkiye, and also in Azerbaijan. These drone strikes in Azerbaijan are totally unacceptable. They are a further escalation by Iran and raise the prospect of the war spreading beyond the Middle East," he noted.
El Anouni also recalled that EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas contacted Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov to express the EU's full solidarity with the government and people of the country, as she herself announced the day before.
Meanwhile, another EU foreign policy official, Anitta Hipper, declined to comment on the possible impact of the situation on the peace process between Baku and Yerevan, an important component of which is the creation of a corridor between mainland Azerbaijan and Nakhchivan through Armenian territory.
However, she emphasized that the European Union continues to support the normalization of relations between the two countries.
"We have also been clear in our support for the normalisation process between Armenia and Azerbaijan, and we have been working for years with both parties and international partners to create the conditions in place for a lasting peace," she added.
In an informal conversation with Report, EU sources noted that the situation around Iran is developing extremely dynamically, so European officials are trying to refrain from commenting.
Both official representatives and senior officials are trying to avoid any detailed comments. However, concern about the overall situation, particularly regarding Azerbaijan, which is located in close proximity to the 'hot spot,' remains quite high, the agency's source said.