On September 27, at the plenary session of the autumn session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), a discussion on “The Implications of the Humanitarian Issues of the Armenian-Azerbaijani Conflict” took place. A resolution of the same name was also discussed. The resolution was drafted on the basis of a report by Paul Gavan, PACE Rapporteur on Migration, Refugees, and Internally Displaced Persons. In the report, the Assembly expressed concern about the fate of some 30 Armenians who were seen, photographed, or videotaped in captivity but whose whereabouts are unknown.
The Assembly is alarmed by allegations that these individuals have been forcibly disappeared and may have been killed. Therefore, the Assembly called on the Azerbaijani authorities to investigate the cases of these people and provide relevant information to the ECHR and Armenia. During the discussion before the vote on the resolution, many PACE delegates expressed concern that Azerbaijan had not yet returned all Armenian prisoners of war to Armenia, and members of the Azeri delegation to PACE stated that they were doing everything possible to establish peace, but the Armenian side was obstructing it.
Prior to the adoption of the resolution, a rather complicated and tense vote was held in the PACE in connection with the proposed amendments to the resolution. The Armenian delegation suggested that after the word “Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict” in the title of the resolution, the words “Nagorno Karabakh conflict” should be added. The members of the Azerbaijani delegation opposed this proposal, noting that it is not possible as Nagorno Karabakh is a legally non-existent unit.
Nevertheless, the proposal of the Armenian delegation was accepted. The Azeri delegation wanted to add to the report that PACE is concerned that the member states are not fulfilling their commitments, and that is why the negotiations between Armenia and Azerbaijan have not yielded significant results in the last 30 years. The head of the Armenian delegation to PACE Ruben Rubinyan opposed this proposal, noting that in this way Azerbaijan wants to justify the war, especially since Samad Seidov threatened war. This proposal was accepted by the majority of PACE delegates.
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The Azeri delegation suggested adding to the resolution that Armenian mercenaries had taken part in the war. Ruben Rubinyan objected, stating that the use of Syrian mercenaries by Azerbaijan during the 44-day war was a fact confirmed by a number of countries and international organizations. The proposal of the Azerbaijani delegation did not pass. There was a long debate over whether Azerbaijan wanted to make an oral proposal, while Ruben Rubinyan stated that it was not voted on at the commission meeting.
The speaker accepted that. However, Samad Seidov insisted that the chair of the sitting put the proposal to a vote. Ruben Rubinyan once again said that the procedure was not followed, and the proposal was accepted in violation of the procedure. The Azeri delegation also proposed to change the name of St. Ghazanchetsots Cathedral to Ghazanchi in the resolution. The Armenian delegation objected, noting that it was built by Armenians for Armenians. However, the proposal was accepted by the majority of PACE. The resolution was passed with 80 votes in favor, 18 against, and 3 abstentions.
Tatev Harutyunyan
