PACE: Armenia clearly identified as aggressor

On the eve of Armenia’s assuming presidency of the Committee of Ministers of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) 31 members of the Assembly have signed a motion for resolution calling Armenia an aggressor country.

The motion reads: “The Parliamentary Assembly welcomed Armenia as a new member some 12 years ago. Expectations both in the Council of Europe as in the global international community were that Armenia's membership to our European forum for democracy would contribute to an acceleration of the pacification of the South Caucasus.

In several resolutions by the international community, Armenia was clearly identified as an aggressor State which was repeatedly condemned for armed aggression, also by the Council of Europe, as Armenia's attitude in this regard is in clear contradiction with the Parliamentary Assembly’s fundamental principles.

Members of the Assembly are concerned about this attitude by Armenia, so much so that they have grave reservations in respect of Armenia's incoming presidency due to start on 16 May 2013.

We believe that it would be right and proper to recommend to the Committee of Ministers that they should seriously review the position of Armenia during their incoming presidency and they should apply whatever pressure they can on the Armenian authorities to ensure that they take immediate steps to remedy the position of Armenia as an aggressive State.

We further recommend to the Bureau of the Assembly that a report and resolution be produced on the failure of the Armenian authorities to comply with international resolutions. This report should also include an assessment of initiatives which in this regard were taken by the Assembly since the moment Armenia joined the Council of Europe.

The Assembly's report should clearly identify the main obstacles and political actors and their
responsibilities, and draw the appropriate conclusions. Concrete recommendations for the near future should be formulated and this topic should be put high on the agenda during the Armenian chairmanship.’ The delegates offered the Bureau to prepare the report, and mainly discuss disavowing the chairmanship in the Committee of Ministers. The report should also include the evaluation given by PA. The report should clearly mirror the barriers, political acts and responsibilities, and give a conclusion.”

The document was signed by deputies from Great Britain, Finland, Belgium, Italy, Spain, Poland, Ireland and Bulgaria. There are neither Turkish nor Azerbaijani parliamentarians among the signatories.


/AzerTAc/