UK regrets PACE rapporteur barred from Armenia, occupied Karabakh
By Aynur Karimova
The United Kingdom has expressed regret that Robert Walter, a rapporteur of the PACE committee on political affairs and democracy for the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, was not allowed to visit the Armenian-occupied Azerbaijani territory of Nagorno-Karabakh.
British Ambassador to Azerbaijan Irfan Siddiq told Trend that only by engaging directly
with all communities it would be possible to find a lasting
peaceful resolution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
"It is in the interests of all sides to encourage contact with all
communities affected by the ongoing conflict in the South
Caucasus,” he said on October 12.
Yerevan did not allow Walter to visit Armenia and the Nagorno-Karabakh region to prepare a report titled “Escalation of violence in Nagorno-Karabakh and the other occupied territories of Azerbaijan.”
In September, addressing a meeting of the Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy of PACE, Walter said that the Azerbaijani side is ready and willing to cooperate.
Meanwhile, despite Armenia's reluctance to cooperate with the PACE, Walter expressed his determination to prepare the report despite Armenia’s objection.
The situation on the contact line of Armenian-Azerbaijani troops remains tense despite a ceasefire agreement that the sides signed in 1994. The Armenian army continually violates the armistice from almost all directions, consistently firing on Azerbaijani positions.
The occupant country remains unpunished for the crimes that it has committed against the Azerbaijani people.
Armenia and Azerbaijan fought a lengthy war that ended with the signing of a fragile ceasefire in 1994. More than 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed and over 1 million were displaced as a result of the large-scale hostilities. Since the war, the Armenian Armed Forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan's territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding regions.
Armenia continues the occupation in defiance of four UN Security Council resolutions calling for immediate and unconditional withdrawal of armed forces.
Peace talks brokered by mediators from Russia, France and the U.S. have produced no results so far.
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Aynur Karimova is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Aynur_Karimova
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