“By not fulfilling the decision of the European Court of Human Rights to apply an interim measure, our Azerbaijani partners in this institution denied the fact of blocking the Lachin Corridor and the connection of the Azerbaijani government with the so-called eco-activists who blocked the road. This Sunday, Azerbaijan started the installation of the checkpoint,” said Hripsime Grigoryan, a member of the Armenian delegation to the PACE, during the plenary session of the PACE spring session.
It should be noted that during the plenary session, the PACE Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights Chairperson George KATROUGALOS, presented a report on “The European Convention on Human Rights and National Constitutions.” It was followed by the speeches of the delegates. Hripsime Grigoryan drew the attention of the Assembly to the decision of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), which was adopted on December 21, 2022, applying an interim measure against Azerbaijan for the blockade of the Lachin Corridor.
Hripsime Grigoryan mentioned: “I am not sure that the Azerbaijani side will accept the fact of the blockade even after the installation of the Azerbaijani checkpoint. Therefore, an opportunity for international observation should be created on the spot. And in the end, what message does Azerbaijan send to all of us with this? Not to the 120,000 people living in Nagorno-Karabakh, but to all of us. It may be the message: Dear international community, while everyone is busy with the terrible war in Ukraine; I am taking advantage of the opportunity to achieve my goals by violating international law. As long as no one stops me, I will continue to do so”.
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Then, addressing the Assembly, Hripsime Grigoryan said: “We must decide whether we can afford to tolerate all this, or whether we will finally gather our strength to defend human rights and democracy against dictatorship.” It should be noted that the members of the Azerbaijani delegation also made speeches, trying to convince the Assembly that they have set up a checkpoint in the Lachin Corridor, as if it is their sovereign territory, to guard their borders as if Armenia allegedly uses the Lachin Corridor to transport weapons.
Referring to Hripsime Grigoryan’s statements, Erkin Gadirli, a member of the Azerbaijani delegation to PACE, said: “I am pleased that Armenia and Azerbaijan took their disputes to international courts. We could have avoided the war if we had done this 30 years ago. But as much as I am happy that Armenia and Azerbaijan are now taking their disputes to the international court, I doubt that Armenia is trying to politicize the international judicial authorities.
Tatev HARUTYUNYAN
