“The problem is not that I alone cannot go to the Lachin Corridor and Nagorno-Karabakh; the problem is that no one can go there. I have tried several times, maybe a month ago, but the fact is that I cannot go there. And when you ask me why you are not there, you do not visit that area; I will answer that it is because of you, because of the member states that do not cooperate with the commissioner to make his entry possible,” PACE Spring Session Plenary the Human Rights Commissioner of the Council of Europe Maria Pejcinovich Burich mentioned at the session on April 24.
Ruben Rubinyan, head of the Armenian delegation to the PACE, reminded the commissioner of the statement of CE Secretary General Burich that it would be good for CE Human Rights Commissioner Dunja Mijatović to visit the Lachin Corridor and Nagorno- Karabakh, for example, noting that the commissioner also expressed her desire during their talks; to visit Nagorno- Karabakh, he said. “I want to ask, when are you going to visit the Lachin Corridor and Nagorno-Karabakh?” And if you say that Azerbaijan does not allow you to do this, please answer me: what do you intend to do to convince and force Azerbaijan to do this? That is one of your businesses.”
In response, Dunya Mijatović also emphasized that her job is not to check borders and continued, “I have tried to look at the Nagorno-Karabakh problem from the perspective of human rights to protect human rights. And until now, I haven’t had that opportunity. The problem is related to the blockade, and I have spoken about it. I tried to find the best way to involve both sides. After signing the tripartite treaty, I was ready to visit Nagorno-Karabakh immediately but could not. I published a memorandum with precise demands for Armenia and Azerbaijan.
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Those demands were related to missing persons, access problems, and the rights of children and adults. The General Secretary of the CE said that you are having discussions at the highest level of the two countries. I don’t know what is being discussed when human rights protection organizations and people cannot visit that area. So this is the reason.
I am ready to visit the Lachin Corridor and Nagorno-Karabakh right now, but I can’t because the states or the state must work to ensure it. I can even go to war zones, but I cannot go to Nagorno- Karabakh. Therefore, when you ask why you are not there, it means that I can’t, not that I don’t want to. The member states should answer that question“.
Tatev HARUTYUNYAN
