The Foreign Ministry of Nagorno Karabakh considers PACE rapporteur’s approach to the Karabakh conflict unacceptable, a spokesperson for the Foreign Ministry told Artsakhpress.
With a vote of 24 to 16, the Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), has approved an anti-Armenian report titled “Escalation of Violence in Nagorno Karabakh and Other Occupied Territories of Azerbaijan” by Robert Walter (United Kingdom, EC), a rapporteur of the PACE Political Affairs Committee. The report contained inappropriate wording.
“The draft resolution, based on a one-sided and biased report by Robert Walter, was regrettably approved by the PACE Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy,” Ani Sargsyan said, slamming the Rapporteur’s approach as unacceptable. “The Rapporteur took only the Azerbaijani position into account, instead of giving a neutral assessment of the situation,” she noted.
“By initiating the preparation of the PACE report on the escalation of violence on the contact line, Azerbaijan tries to undermine the peace initiatives of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-chairs. In fact, the country just seeks to justify its rejection of the mediators’ proposals on the establishment of border investigation mechanisms,” Sargsyan noted.
According to the spokeswoman, Karabakh has repeatedly pointed to the unproductive nature of Azerbaijan’s attempts to include military and political issues on PACE agenda, which has neither the relevant toolbox nor expertise to deal with such issues.
“We believe that the best and most constructive contribution would be for PACE to join the international community and support the efforts of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs, aimed at ensuring stability on the line of contact,” Sargsyan concluded.
