As we have already informed, President Serzh Sargsyan made a speech during the plenary session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) winter session. The speech was followed by the question-answer session.
Samad Seyidov, head of Azerbaijani delegation addressed a question to President Serzh Sargsyan, accusing him of not touching upon Khojalu case, where about 800 women and children were killed by Armenians, in his speech. Samad Seyidov announced that the President of the Republic of Armenia puts the international community into confusion.
Before answering, Serzh Sargsyan urged Seyidov to calm down and relax, then warned not to alter his words.
The President explained: “I did not state that I was a war leader at this tribune. I have participated in the fair struggle of the Nagorno-Karabakh people. Why I did not mention the events of Khojalu that you consider genocide, because immediately after these tragic events the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ayaz Mutalibov, gave a thorough outline of the facts and showed who the organizers of those events were. Genocide is not a good thing, it is not an honour, it is a torture. There is a tendency in Azerbaijan: to have what Armenians have. Why do you need to call something a genocide, which has not been even committed, especially by Armenians?”.
Referring to Seyidov’s accusations of the non-fulfilment of the obligations of international organizations by Armenia, Serzh Sargsyan announced that they are wrong. Then he assured that there is no decision adopted by international organizations which is rejected by the Armenian side.
Touching upon the UN Security Council resolutions, which Seyidov had mentioned, Serzh Sargsyan said: “The world knows that the UN has never touched upon the NK problem. In 1993, the UN Security Council adopted four resolutions on the cessation of hostilities. After that, Azerbaijan announced that it would not stop military operations and launched new attacks, but, as often happens, it gave losses. The only commitment of Armenia was to use its influence and reputation to stop military operations. In honour of the authorities of the Republic of Armenia, we have fulfilled those commitments. Azerbaijan has not fulfilled the first responsibility of ceasing the military operations”.
Serzh Sargsyan also stated that the provisions of the ceasefire agreement signed in 1994 were not fulfilled either.
Referring to the negotiation process and Azerbaijan’s ambitions, Serzh Sargsyan stated: “You demand the impossible in the negotiation process, you want to bring Nagorno-Karabakh back to Azerbaijan. Xenophobia has evolved so much in Azerbaijan that you already declare that you need Karabakh without Armenians. The essence of the Karabakh people’s struggle is clear: it is a struggle for freedom and self-determination, and such a struggle cannot not to have a positive outcome”.
Tatev HARUTYUNYAN
