The EU office in Baku has responded to a note from Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry over a visit by a Polish MEP to the occupied territories.
Polish MEP Tomasz Poreba, the European Parliament's head rapporteur on Armenia, began a visit to separatist Nagorno-Karabakh on 19 December, where he met the leadership of the unrecognized republic and discussed the resolution of the Karabakh conflict and the situation in the region.
The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry officially presented a note of protest to the head of the EU office in Azerbaijan, Roland Kobia, and Polish ambassador Michal Labenda over the visit.
On 28 December the EU office and Polish embassy said in their reply that the EU's high representative for foreign affairs, Catherine Ashton, had not been informed about the visit.
"The European Parliament is an independent institution, as the EU institutions are founded on the principle of the full separation of the branches of power. The office of the high representative/EU vice-president for foreign affairs and security policy, Catherine Ashton, has no authority whatsoever over the European Parliament and the resolutions, reports and individual actions of the European Parliament or its members," the reply said.
"The EU respects the international principle of territorial integrity and thinks that visits to the territory of any state should be made in line with international law and in collaboration with the country in question," it continued.
Earlier, on 23 December, Roland Kobia expressed regret on behalf of the European Union at the problems caused by the visit and said that the EU would respond officially to the note of protest.
Baku objects to visits by politicians, tourists and others to the Azerbaijani territory of Nagorno-Karabakh and the occupied area around it which have not been agreed with the Azerbaijani authorities first.
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