Armenian and Azerbaijani delegations presented several proposals for changes to the declaration “The humanitarian situation in Karabakh and neighboring cities and regions” adopted by the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe. Before discussing the proposals for these changes, speeches were made by members of the Armenian and Azerbaijani delegations and the CoE Congress.
Emin Yeritsyan, head of the Armenian delegation at the CoE Congress, announced: “The reaction and support of the international community is important. In this context, we must strongly condemn Azerbaijan for its unjustified military attack on the Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh.
That attack came after a 10-month blockade of the Lachine Corridor. The assurances of the Azerbaijani side that they have nothing to do with the sudden decision of more than 100,000 Armenians to leave their homes are empty words. This regime constantly told people that Nagorno-Karabakh does not exist.
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The blockade, the military offensive, followed by the unilateral opening of the Lachine Corridor, is ethnic cleansing. By closing the Lachin Corridor and carrying out a military attack, Azerbaijan made Armenians understand they have no future in this area. Therefore, the Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh had to leave their homes and the area where they lived.” After this announcement, there was applause in the hall.
The German delegate, Sören Schumacher announced: “More than 100,000 people were displaced; before that, they were starving. There was no medicine, no fuel. A political game is being played. Here in Congress, we have an obligation to ensure that human rights are protected and that the rule of law prevails. We need to make the situation visible. Women, children, 100,000 people were forcibly displaced.”
Davit Khazhakyan, a member of the Armenian delegation, announced: “Let’s be honest, this is an ethnic cleansing that was premeditated because it was a result of the military offensive and the 10-month blockade of the Lachine Corridor. Even after all this, the leaders of some EU countries continue to defend Azerbaijan, which has strategic importance for the EU. The sale of Russian gas to Europe through the Azerbaijani pipeline cannot take precedence over the daily violations of European universal values by Azerbaijan. I call on all our partners to take specific steps and impose specific sanctions against Azerbaijan to protect the values of our organization. If we don’t respect them, why should Azerbaijan respect them?”
Edvard Grigoryan, the young ambassador representing Armenia, stated that the representatives of his generation suffered a lot from the war of 2020. He called on the Congress to strongly condemn Azerbaijan’s military operations in Nagorno-Karabakh and also urged, supporting the statements of the PACE and the EU Committee of the Regions, the Congress, to release the representatives of Nagorno-Karabakh, as well as the representatives of local authorities, who are detained in Azerbaijan.
Tatev HARUTYUNYAN
Strasbourg
