Provocation thwarted at CE function
A provocation against Azerbaijan was prevented at a meeting of the
Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) Committee on
Culture, Science and Education.
A report by British MP Edward O'Hara presented to European lawmakers centered directly on a single issue concerning Azerbaijan. O'Hara, who acts as the rapporteur in charge of monitoring the situation with cultural monuments in the South Caucasus, told the committee members that it was allegedly agreed after discussions with representatives of Azeri and Armenian delegations at the spring session of PACE that his visit to the three regional states would be paid not at the same time but separately, and that the MP would visit Azerbaijan first. The rapporteur said the visit would take place to scrutinize Armenian claims on the destruction of their historical monuments in Baku and Nakhchivan. O'Hara said the CE secretariat had forwarded a relevant official letter to the Azerbaijani government in this respect. The MP said he planned to pay the visit in early July -a week after the June session of PACE, requesting that the committee pass a decision to that end.
A one-hour heated debate followed O'Hara's presentation. Azerbaijani MP Rafael Huseynov voiced utter protest at the statement. He reminded that Azerbaijan was subject to aggression, and that one of the most devastating blows dealt upon the country by Armenian occupation of 20 per cent of its territory was the destruction of its cultural heritage.
He emphasized that PACE's Resolution 1416 unequivocally recognizes Armenia as aggressor and demands a negotiated settlement to the Upper (Nagorno) Garabagh conflict. "Considering all this, we have repeatedly raised the issue concerning the fate of cultural valuables in Upper Garabagh and the seven districts around it that have been subject to occupation, as well as those in Armenian territory that was historically populated by hundreds of thousands of Azerbaijanis."
Huseynov noted that the initiative on O'Hara's visit to the region was initially put forth by the Azerbaijani delegation at PACE. However, it has not taken place so far due to Yerevan's posing different obstacles every time.
Taking into consideration this explanation, the committee did not approve the British MP's visit to Azerbaijan.
A report by British MP Edward O'Hara presented to European lawmakers centered directly on a single issue concerning Azerbaijan. O'Hara, who acts as the rapporteur in charge of monitoring the situation with cultural monuments in the South Caucasus, told the committee members that it was allegedly agreed after discussions with representatives of Azeri and Armenian delegations at the spring session of PACE that his visit to the three regional states would be paid not at the same time but separately, and that the MP would visit Azerbaijan first. The rapporteur said the visit would take place to scrutinize Armenian claims on the destruction of their historical monuments in Baku and Nakhchivan. O'Hara said the CE secretariat had forwarded a relevant official letter to the Azerbaijani government in this respect. The MP said he planned to pay the visit in early July -a week after the June session of PACE, requesting that the committee pass a decision to that end.
A one-hour heated debate followed O'Hara's presentation. Azerbaijani MP Rafael Huseynov voiced utter protest at the statement. He reminded that Azerbaijan was subject to aggression, and that one of the most devastating blows dealt upon the country by Armenian occupation of 20 per cent of its territory was the destruction of its cultural heritage.
He emphasized that PACE's Resolution 1416 unequivocally recognizes Armenia as aggressor and demands a negotiated settlement to the Upper (Nagorno) Garabagh conflict. "Considering all this, we have repeatedly raised the issue concerning the fate of cultural valuables in Upper Garabagh and the seven districts around it that have been subject to occupation, as well as those in Armenian territory that was historically populated by hundreds of thousands of Azerbaijanis."
Huseynov noted that the initiative on O'Hara's visit to the region was initially put forth by the Azerbaijani delegation at PACE. However, it has not taken place so far due to Yerevan's posing different obstacles every time.
Taking into consideration this explanation, the committee did not approve the British MP's visit to Azerbaijan.
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