Statement delivered by H.Naghdalian
Head of Armenian Delegation to PACE
Today, the migration crisis is one of the most important challenges that Europe is facing. More than one million migrants fleeing from war, conflict or persecution are looking for a better future in other countries. According to the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) this is the highest number since World War II. Wars in Syria and Iraq, regional conflicts and crises in Afghanistan, in the Middle East and in some African countries have triggered the dramatic increase in the flow of refugees fleeing from these regions to Europe.
Last March, the European Union and Turkey reached an agreement to stem the flow of migrants arriving on the Greek coast. According to this agreement, Turkey must receive more than 6 billion euros until the end of 2018 to cover the costs of dealing with the influx of refugees. Reached under almost open blackmail of Turkey this agreement is being heavily criticised for various reasons. The country receives billions of euros to manage migration flows, which are generated in part by the actions of the Islamic state.
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On the other hand, according to media reports, there are claims that Turkey is financially supporting Islamic State by purchasing oil from the terrorist group at low prices.
The Daily Mail reported on August 25, 2014 that many foreigners have joined the terrorist organization in Syria and Iraq after traveling through Turkey. Thus Turkey appears to be a “hub” of the terrorist organization.
Today, the Islamic state is declining in Syria. This is encouraging. However, there are worrying signs that the ISIS would aim to destabilize other regions, including the South Caucasus. As you well know on 2 April Azerbaijan unleashed a large scale aggression against Nagorno-Karabakh. Many Medias have reported the participation of the Islamic State fighters in the ranks of the Azerbaijani army. May be presence and guidance of these thugs could explain barbaric acts of violence committed by Azeri forces during four days of war. The list of war crimes includes bombardment of civilian objects, schools with heavy rocket launchers, killing and mutilating civilians, children and elderly people, ISIS style beheading of already dead soldiers and showing off heads to cheering public. For the moment senseless bloodshed in Nagorno-Karabakh was stopped due to courage of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh. However, credible fears remain on possible expansion of ISIS to new regions that will definitely bring new wars and tragedies.
Concluding I would add my voice to those calling to combine efforts in fighting terrorism in all its forms, to take further measures to deal with radicalisation and hate speech, and to make understand some high ranking rabid racists that war is not option, that tolerance is an attribute of the strong.
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