French Member of the European Parliament Angéline Furet, who represents the Patriots for Europe group, has strongly criticised the policies of the European Commission and the European Parliament, accusing Brussels of adopting an ideological approach, interfering in regional processes, and failing to conduct pragmatic diplomacy with Azerbaijan and other countries in the region.

The remarks were made during a plenary session of the European Parliament held on 21 May 2026 and published on the European Parliament Multimedia Centre platform. The session included a separate item titled “Decision of the Azerbaijani Parliament on suspending cooperation with the European Parliament”, The Caspian Post reports, citing News.Az.

Furet criticised the European Union’s policy towards Azerbaijan and the South Caucasus, arguing that Baku’s decision to suspend cooperation with the European Parliament should not be seen as a mere procedural step.

According to Furet, it represents a “strategic punishment” of the European Union for what she described as attempts to interfere in matters of state sovereignty and regional policy. She argued that the EU is effectively “paying the price” for its own interference and for its approach in relations with Armenia.

“You thought you were securing gas supplies, while at the same time adopting resolutions that, in reality, did not protect a single Armenian. By taking over the role of nation states and beginning to preach morality, you did not gain respect - you merely created a vacuum,” the MEP said.

Furet also noted that, in geopolitics, any vacuum is quickly filled by other actors. In this context, she pointed to the role of the United States, which she said is acting according to a realist logic and has managed to advance a transport corridor that takes into account the interests of both Azerbaijan and Armenia.

“They created a reality that even Iran can live with, despite its sensitivity to border issues. Now a new strategic route is emerging - peaceful and effectively controlled by American capital,” she said.

In Furet’s view, Europe has become isolated from processes shaping the new geo-economic map of Central Asia and the South Caucasus. She stressed that the EU must not “stand aside while the world is changing before our eyes” and called on Brussels to abandon what she described as a policy of moralising.

“Diplomacy is the responsibility of member states, not the European Commission. Stop this diplomacy of statements, stop teaching the world and lecturing it. Let countries act and start engaging in real, adult politics,” she said.