“Yes, I really spoke about the possibility of the Council of Europe intervening in this matter,” Tiny Kox, the newly elected President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), told Aravot.am during an online press conference. Aravot.am reminded Tiny Kox that in 2020, during the 44-day war unleashed by Turkey and Azerbaijan against Armenia and Artsakh, Tiny Kox had announced the enlargement of the PACE Standing Committee. “We have witnessed how the frozen conflict turned into a bloody war. The conflict has a long history for which a lasting solution has not yet been found, but he stressed that it does not reserve the right for the parties to use violence against each other.”
He called on the Assembly to send co-rapporteurs to Baku and Yerevan as soon as possible, as he suggested sending a presidential commission to the conflict zone, as the PACE did after the bloody war between Russia and Georgia in 2008. In response to the question of what he is going to do now as PACE President, and if he is going to send rapporteurs to the conflict zone, as there are many humanitarian issues there, he answered, “This is a simple example of so-called frozen conflicts that can explode at any moment. This is not the only conflict in Europe. There are many of them. I hope that in the near future, we will be able to talk to the Armenian and Azerbaijani delegations, because in the end the politicians must solve these problems between the two countries.”
In response to our other question of what mechanisms will be used to put pressure on Azerbaijan to release the Armenian prisoners of war, Tiny Kox answered, “The POWs must be released. It is already horrible that so many people lost their lives during this unnecessary war, during this bloody war. It is time. All those captured during the war must be released and returned to their homes.”
Armenian journalists asked why the report adopted by the PACE did not answer the question of who started the war, and if PACE believes that there is a need for an additional report. The newly-elected PACE President answered, “The function of the Assembly is to prepare reports and make proposals. I hope that all the beneficiaries will follow our proposals to eliminate the consequences of this terrible war. If there are suggestions for additional reports, we will work in that direction. We are a democratic structure; the president can not make decisions on his own.”
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In response to the question about what pressure can be put on Azerbaijan as it does not allow entry into Nagorno-Karabakh, Tiny Kox answered, “This is a serious, big problem. We have suggestions, and I want to urge the two countries to carefully follow our suggestions and advice, as they can be mutually beneficial in overcoming the problems.”
Tatev HARUTYUNYAN
