Thorbjørn Jagland, Secretary-General of the Council of Europe (CoE), has issued a statement regarding the incident on the Armenia-Azerbaijan border on December 29. In an interview with Aravot, Naira Zohrabyan, a member of the Armenian delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), head of PAP party noted that she does not agree with the statement of Secretary-General. However, at the same time, she stated that after the statement of OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs Igor Popov (Russia), Stephane Visconti (France), and Richard Hoagland (USA), when there was no adequate response by Foreign Ministry of Armenia, Jagland’s statement was no surprise for her.
Recall that CoE Secretary-General directing the arrow of criticism against Armenia like co-chairs affixed in his statement, “The Council of Europe does not have a direct role in the negotiations, and always refers to, and supports the role of, the OSCE Minsk-Group. However, we are concerned about the humanitarian aspects of the conflict. I am aware that the violations of the ceasefire on 29 December resulted in casualties, and that the Armenian Armed Forces are still holding the body of an Azerbaijani serviceman killed in the fighting. I urge the parties to respect the ceasefire, and I fully support the Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group’s call for the return, without delay, of human remains – in accordance with the agreements of the Astrakhan Summit of 2010 – bearing in mind the humanitarian nature of this issue.”
Naira Zohrabyan noted on this, “I am absolutely not amazed that Jagland never exceeding the limit of correctness, moderation and cautious in his statements makes such a statement today. It is no surprising because when two or three days ago, the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs made a pointless and much more vulgar statement, our diplomacy and our foreign diplomatic corps once again showed its inability and instead of reminding OSCE Minsk Group at the highest diplomatic level they should have remembered about humanity when we were demanding to return at least the heads of our beheaded soldiers or amputated arms and legs when the Azerbaijani side was showing Kyaram Sloyan’s head across the hill which the co-chairs were aware of, and Mr. Andrzej Kasprzyk, the then Minsk Group, for some reason, does not remember about humanity.”
Ms. Zohrabyan feels pain and upset for the inability and weakness of the RA foreign structures and diplomacy, “This is how people speak with the weak and speak from a dominant position. This is a fact.” Ms. Zohrabyan recalled that Thorbjørn Jagland has never violated the boundaries of correctness but now, such working in his message is amazing, “He has always been a politician who acts with healthy and soberer assessment. But when he sees the Minsk Group violating all adopted diplomatic norms, brings charges against Armenia, and the Armenian diplomacy keeps silent like a shell, naturally, Jagland, a person who is totally unaware of the nuances of the conflict and is not an expert in Karabakh conflict assumes that the Armenian side is to blame.”
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Ms. Zohrabyan stressed once again, “the Azeri soldier was shot down in the Armenian side, in other words, when crossing the border, hence, no one is to blame for the dissemination of such statements but our diplomacy for being afraid of giving an adequate response.” We asked what specific actions should have been made by RA diplomatic corps. Ms. Zohrabyan replied, “At least to have sent a note of the Minsk Group, saying that they appeal and do not accept an unbalanced and one-sided statement without minding that the OSCE Minsk Group member superstates would punish them.”
To our observation that perhaps the Armenian delegation would come out with a condemning statement in PACE, Naira Zohrabyan responded, “The statement of the delegation is just a statement of parliamentarians. I am a member of the delegation and as such, I say that I do not accept Jagland’s statement which is absolutely unacceptable for me. I also declare that the Minsk group after making such a statement cannot be impartial as a body having the mandate to negotiate. However, this cannot be viewed as a statement of the country’s foreign diplomatic corps.”
Ms. Zohrabyan said that as a Chair of the European Integration Committee, she has sent her disagreement in writing a day before to the co-chairs, and today she will send one to Thorbjørn Jagland. In conclusion, Naira Zohrabyan said, “My view is just a view of a PACE deputy member. Here, the state and RA MFA, in the first place, must raise its voice.”
