Armenia faces threat of losing voting rights at PACE
Co-rapporteurs of the Parliamentary Assembly of the
Council of Europe (PACE) Monitoring Committee on Armenia have
threatened to deprive Armenia of its right to vote, a co-rapporteur
of the assembly on Azerbaijan, Andres Herkel, has said.
Herkel, who attended a Committee meeting in Paris, said participants heard a report on how two PACE resolutions on creating democratic institutions are being enforced in Armenia and concluded that the issue of political prisoners has not yet been resolved.
The PACE committee later adopted a nine-provision document calling on Armenian authorities to launch a dialogue with political parties, release those arrested during the mass protests that followed the country`s elections in early March, and listed other demands.
The Committee also instructed the co-rapporteurs to schedule another visit to the South Caucasus republic ahead of the assembly`s January session.
Armenia`s February 19 presidential election was followed by mass protests that were quelled on March 1-2. The Armenian opposition had refused to recognize the outcome of the election won by Prime Minister Serzh Sarkisian and took to the streets.
Commenting on the PACE actions, Armenian Foreign Minister Eduard Nalbandian said "undesirable recommendations" had been made to Armenia at the Committee`s meeting. Ten out of the 15 PACE delegations voted for these recommendations, he noted.
"However, this issue will find its final solution in the assembly`s winter session. By then, the organization`s co-rapporteurs will visit Yerevan. I hope that the situation will change by January, which, in turn, will affect the final decision."
Nalbandian claimed that Armenian authorities were delivering on their international commitments and would continue to do so in the future.
Herkel, who attended a Committee meeting in Paris, said participants heard a report on how two PACE resolutions on creating democratic institutions are being enforced in Armenia and concluded that the issue of political prisoners has not yet been resolved.
The PACE committee later adopted a nine-provision document calling on Armenian authorities to launch a dialogue with political parties, release those arrested during the mass protests that followed the country`s elections in early March, and listed other demands.
The Committee also instructed the co-rapporteurs to schedule another visit to the South Caucasus republic ahead of the assembly`s January session.
Armenia`s February 19 presidential election was followed by mass protests that were quelled on March 1-2. The Armenian opposition had refused to recognize the outcome of the election won by Prime Minister Serzh Sarkisian and took to the streets.
Commenting on the PACE actions, Armenian Foreign Minister Eduard Nalbandian said "undesirable recommendations" had been made to Armenia at the Committee`s meeting. Ten out of the 15 PACE delegations voted for these recommendations, he noted.
"However, this issue will find its final solution in the assembly`s winter session. By then, the organization`s co-rapporteurs will visit Yerevan. I hope that the situation will change by January, which, in turn, will affect the final decision."
Nalbandian claimed that Armenian authorities were delivering on their international commitments and would continue to do so in the future.
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