“These seminars inform the NATO Parliamentary Assembly about the policy led by the NATO partner countries, such as Armenia”, said former Chairman of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, Hugh Bayley, in the interview with Aravot.am and News.am, summing up the 89th “Rose Roth” seminar. He noted that this is his first visit to Armenia and thanks to the seminar, he has learned about the military missions Armenia conducts with NATO and the UN, as well as about policy led in the region and the Nagorno-Karabakh frozen conflict. “These seminars also enable the delegates to demonstrate the democratic nature and the domestic contribution of the civil society in the partner countries. It is important for us to know what progress Armenia is making.”
The 89th “Rose Roth” seminar was attended by a group of observers from Nagorno-Karabakh, while the Azerbaijani and Turkish delegations were absent. Aravot.am was curious to know how Mr. Bayley estimates the absence of Azerbaijan, he replied, “Azerbaijan missed the opportunity to dialogue with the deputies of Armenia and other countries. I regret that they did not attend, but I encourage them to attend the future events. I think last year when the Armenian lawmakers attended the same event in Baku, it was a big move. I am disappointed that the Azerbaijanis failed to attend. However, this does not mean to freeze future discussions, I want to encourage them to make other decision than this next time.”
To our observation that the seminar was also attended by observers from Nagorno-Karabakh, he said. “The conflict resolution will happen only when the politicians will meet and obtain fresh arrangements. At the same time, the international developments are underway that encourage to seek solutions. I wish they had the advantage of the two decades to prevent the conflict. Armenians and Azerbaijanis need to find the solution.” The 89th NATO Parliamentary Assembly “Rose Roth” seminar was held in Yerevan on June 18-20. The seminar was attended by delegations from he NATO Parliamentary Assembly member states, as well as international and local observers. The next “Rose Roth” seminar will be hosted in Yerevan 5 years later, in 2020.
Ami CHICHAKYAN
