PACE rapporteur to visit Armenia to study humanitarian consequences of Karabakh conflict

Paul Gavan (Ireland, UEL) will visit Armenia on behalf of the Committee on Migration, Refugees and Population of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) from 19 to 22 May 2021, to gather information for his report on "The humanitarian consequences of the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan", the PACE said in a statement.

“He will hold meetings with parliamentarians, including the President of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia, and with representatives of different ministries dealing with the humanitarian consequences of the conflict. He will also have an opportunity to hear from displaced persons and the families of captives and the missing, and will meet with religious leaders, the Human Rights Defender of the Republic of Armenia, and civil society representatives.

The visit will also allow him to understand better the role and contribution of international organizations working on this issue in Armenia, including the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the United Nations agencies, in particular the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

Mr Gavan plans to continue his work over the summer, visiting Azerbaijan to gather further information, and aims to complete his report in the autumn”, the statement says.