MP: Armenia always avoids meetings within PACE
By Rashid Shirinov
The Azerbaijani side has long ago expressed readiness for a meeting with the Armenian delegation in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), however, Armenians have always avoided it, Samad Seyidov, head of the Azerbaijani delegation to PACE, told Trend on December 9.
Seyidov, who is also the chairman of the international and interparliamentary relations committee at Azerbaijan’s Parliament, was commenting on the PACE initiative to hold such a meeting.
“Azerbaijan has always insisted on this meeting, however, the Armenians state that if the meetings are held in the OSCE Minsk Group format, there is no need for discussion within the framework of the Council of Europe,” Seyidov said.
He added that the meetings between the delegations, as well as between the heads of communities of Nagorno-Karabakh would make it possible to review the situation on the conflict in detail.
“The Azerbaijani side has repeatedly expressed its position – we are ready for a meeting. If the Armenian delegation also expresses its readiness, it will be up to PACE to organize the meeting,” he said.
Earlier, President of the PACE Pedro Agramunt made a proposal to hold a meeting of Azerbaijani and Armenian delegations in the PACE.
Azerbaijan and Armenia fought a lengthy war that ended with the signing of a fragile ceasefire in 1994. Since the war, Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan's territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding regions. More than 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed and over 1 million were displaced as a result of the large-scale hostilities.
While the OSCE Minsk Group acted as the only mediator in resolution of the conflict, the occupation of the territory of the sovereign State with its internationally recognized boundaries has been left out of due attention of the international community for years.
Armenia ignores four UN Security Council resolutions on immediate withdrawal from the occupied territory of Azerbaijan, thus keeping tension high in the region.