Armenian MP urges PACE to beware of conflict zone escalation

The head of Armenia’s delegation to the Council of Europe’s Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) has called upon European colleagues to beware of possible escalations in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone.

Speaking at the Assembly’s plenary session in Strasburg, Hermine Naghdalyan (ruling Republican Party) particularly called attention to the violent border incidents since August, noting that they led up to an increased number of losses on both the Armenian and Azerbaijani sides.

“Armenia’s conflict settlement efforts alone are not enough as long as Azerbaijan keeps doing its utmost to escalate the situation in the conflict zone. And regretably, the unpromising facts on table encourage the Azerbaijani side to undertake new and larger-scale provocations and subversive acts. The co-chairs [of the OSCE Minsk Group] issued a statement on Azerbaijan’s non-constructive policies in Krakow [Poland] in January, calling upon the country to remain faithful to its commitments.

“Turkey, unfortunately, not only fails to admit its past but also really pursues a policy of misrepresenting history. Today, we see the country represent itself as a safe port for refugees and what’s even more cynical, it insists on having been that safe shelter since the times of the Ottoman Empire when Armenians, Greeks, Bulgarians, Assyrians, Jews and the remaining non-Muslim population were systematically killed, tortured and deported from their native lands under the Ottoman yoke and had their cultural heritage destroyed,” she said, further sharing Armenia’s concerns over the future document on the Assembly’s agenda.

Noting that the Armenian delegation has always been for an open dialogue and debates over the issue, Ms Naghdalyan said they now attach a major importance to confidence-building.

“Today we feel the considerable tense and complicated situation in the region. Spearheaded by the co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement process is endangered due to the Azerbaijani authorities; belligerent statements and military provocations,” she added.

Naghdalyan said she sincerely believes in the Council of Europe’s ability to promote a conflict settlement through cooperation with Nagorno-Karabakh’s elected authorities. “This is the domain where the Council of Europe can really have a considerable contribution,” she said, referring to PACE President Anne Brasseur’s statement declaring Nagorno-Karabakh’s population part of the 820 million European community and underlining the need to offer it the necessary assistance.