On June 22, at the plenary session of the PACE summer session, a discussion on “Ensuring free and safe access through the Lachin Corridor” was held under an urgent procedure. PACE Irish Member of Parliament, Vice-Chairman of the PACE Committee on Migration, Refugees and Displaced Persons Paul Gavan presented the report “Ensuring free and safe access through the Lachine Corridor,” which a discussion will follow.
To remind you, Paul Gavan visited Armenia on a fact-finding mission. It is stated in the report that the Assembly expresses its concern that the PACE rapporteur was not invited to Azerbaijan and, therefore, could not get first-hand information on the spot.
“The Assembly demands that a fact-finding mission of the Council of Europe be organized in Azerbaijan as soon as possible, the purpose of which is to assess the situation where Armenians live and have suffered since December 12, 2022, due to the lack of free and safe transportation through the Lachin Corridor.”
With the report, PACE draws the attention of the CE Committee of Ministers to “the humanitarian and human rights crisis affecting Armenians living in Nagorno-Karabakh, following Azerbaijan’s unilateral actions in the Lachin Corridor, which contradict the Trilateral Statement of November 9, 2020.”
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With the document, PACE offers the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe to develop new actions. “Recognizing the sense of insecurity and the threat of the Armenian population living in Nagorno-Karabakh, the Assembly believes that the Council of Europe can play an essential role in strengthening trust and dialogue between the two member states, mainly through confidence-building measures.
Therefore, it encourages the Committee of Ministers to develop new actions through existing action plans or a sui generis cooperation instrument, which will inter alia address hate speech, in particular, the unacceptable language and rhetoric used by members of the government about the Armenian population of Azerbaijan, and will contribute to the creation of an atmosphere of tolerance and mutual respect.”
In the report, there is also a concern that Azerbaijan is still not implementing the UN court’s decision. The report examines concrete measures to ensure a stable and peaceful future for the Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh, starting with restoring free and safe access through the Lachin Corridor. It calls for constructive dialogue and, in this regard, expresses concern regarding the intolerable and unacceptable rhetoric that the authorities of Azerbaijan, including at the highest level, have used towards Armenians.
The report defends the role of the Council of Europe as a mediator in restoring trust between the two member states, Armenia and Azerbaijan.
Tatev HARUTYUNYAN
