On the eve of the forthcoming session of PACE where the debates on two draft documents related to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict are planned, the NGOs of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic (NKR) have sent an appeal to the members of the PACE.
The appeal of the NGO leaders in particular reads “The names of the reports prepared by Milica Markovic and Robert Walter, already point to the biased, pro-Azerbaijani nature of both reports. The draft resolutions prepared on the basis of these reports do not stand out for their impartiality either. As supporters of peaceful dialogue and cooperation at various levels, we regret that the texts of the documents were prepared without PACE rapporteurs’ visit to the Nagorno Karabakh Republic, and without any communication and interaction with the authorities and the civil society of the Republic”.
The NGO representatives of the NKR have alerted the PACE members that the possible adoption of the draft resolutions would have an extremely negative effect on the process of peaceful settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict. “The documents put forward for your consideration have nothing to do with the peace process, pursue propagandistic goals and may offer certain advantages to the Azerbaijani authorities, who, in spite of the commitments taken do not exclude the use of force in the solution of political problems, constantly and flagrantly violate the ceasefire agreement in the conflict zone and persecute civil activists in their own country, including the participants of peacekeeping projects”, note the authors of the appeal.
The NGO leaders of Artsakh expressed their conviction that the PACE could help to achieve peace in the region exclusively through supporting the formation and development of civil society in all three conflicting countries. “For democratically developed Azerbaijan, Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia it would be much easier to find a peaceful and lasting solution to the Azerbaijani-Karabakh conflict on the basis of common values”- the document reads.
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The civil society leaders of Artsakh have urged members of the PACE to refrain from adopting the proposed PACE resolutions on Nagorno-Karabakh, which are aimed at undermining both the official negotiating process under the auspices of the OSCE (Track I), as well as people’s diplomacy (Track II). According to the authors of the document “Draft resolutions, which run counter to the declared values of the Council of Europe, will contribute to the final disruption of relations between the civil societies, which act as carriers of peaceful conflict transformation”.
Copies of the appeal of Artsakh NGOs to the PACE have been sent to the parliaments and the ministries of Foreign Affairs of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic and the Republic of Armenia.