1 / 5

On September 28, the RA NA President Alen Simonyan met with the President of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) Tiny Kox.

At the PACE President’s request, the RA NA President presented the destiny of the Armenians forcibly displaced from Nagorno Karabakh, data regarding the violation of rights, reminding him about the people being under blockade for months because of blocking the Lachin corridor and the Azerbaijani large-scale offensive. “As a result, there are hundreds of killed people and wounded, including among the peaceful population, women and children. Thousands of people have been forcibly displaced and have been remained homeless without food and other means of living and first medical aid,” the RA NA President stressed. Alen Simonyan noted that the destruction of the Armenian trace, the complete destruction of cultural heritage in Nagorno Karabakh is on the basis of the Azerbaijani policy, and we are its witness after 44-day war, and in these days that policy is implemented to the fullest. He underscored that numerous people are moving to Armenia from Nagorno Karabakh, and by now the Government of Armenia is able to meet its needs with its own forces, at the same time adding that the assistance of the friendly states will be necessary. The aggressive actions of Azerbaijan against Nagorno Karabakh were observed by the interlocutors as an ultimate goal of implementing the programme of the Armenians’ depopulation, because of which the people were deprived of the right to live free and dignified in their homeland. The RA NA President highly appreciated the PACE President’s Statement condemning the last military actions in Nagorno Karabakh.

Reference has been made to the fact that Azerbaijan not only ignores the obligation assumed before the Council of Europe, but also resets the international colleagues’ efforts aimed at the establishment of stability and peace in South Caucasus. Alen Simonyan underlined that the structures of the Council of Europe should visit Nagorno Karabakh and observe the situation regarding the human rights there, record the people’s sufferings and find possible solutions. He set great hopes on the support of the PACE in sending fact-finding mission of the Assembly to Nagorno Karabakh.

“Besides the disastrous situation created around Nagorno Karabakh, by now Azerbaijan has not carried out the decisions of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) on the return of Armenian prisoners of war and other civilians. Part of the sovereign territories of Armenia is still under the illegal control of Azerbaijan,” the Head of Parliament reminded.

He emphasized that the position of Armenia remains the same: to establish peaceful relations which are based on the mutual recognition of sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Tiny Kox informed that in PACE issues on Nagorno Karabakh and Armenia will be discussed on October 1.

Arsen Torosyan and Sona Ghazaryan are in the delegation led by the NA President.