Ruben Rubinyan, head of the RA NA delegation to PACE, wrote on his Facebook page:
“A little while ago, the CE Parliamentary Assembly adopted the resolution “Humanitarian situation in Nagorno-Karabakh” and the consultation of the same name. The resolution condemns Azerbaijan’s military operations against Nagorno Karabakh on September 19, 2023.
The Assembly notes that almost the entire population of Nagorno-Karabakh has left their homeland due to the threat of physical destruction and the long-standing anti-Armenian policy of the Azerbaijani government. The Assembly notes that there are reasonable suspicions of ethnic cleansing.
The Assembly notes that implementing ethnic cleansing as a war crime or a crime against humanity may lead to individual criminal responsibility. The Assembly calls on the Committee of Ministers to undertake a monitoring process for Azerbaijan, based on the 1994 declaration on fulfilling the commitments conducted by CE member states.
Calls for an additional joint procedure between the Committee of Ministers and the Parliamentary Assembly in response to Azerbaijan’s serious breach of its statutory obligations. He declares that in the case of Azerbaijan’s non-fulfillment of its obligations, the Assembly will have no choice but to vote in 2024. Challenge the mandate of the Azerbaijani delegation during the first session of the PACE (this will mean that the participation of the Azerbaijani delegation in the PACE will be suspended at least temporarily).
The Assembly refers to the fact that more than 100,600 Armenians left Nagorno-Karabakh in the last two weeks and records the reasons for this: the military operations started by Azerbaijan on September 19, 2023, and the crisis caused by the blocking of the Lachin Corridor that preceded it. The Assembly is deeply convinced that the tragic emigration of the population of Nagorno-Karabakh should not be accepted as a new reality.
As a member state of the Council of Europe, Azerbaijan must maintain loyalty to the Organization’s core values and demonstrate readiness to fulfill its international commitments. The Assembly refers to the European Court of Human Rights decision on September 22, 2023, regarding the application of interim measures against Azerbaijan and calls on Azerbaijan to implement them immediately.
The Assembly calls on Azerbaijan to take immediate action to ensure the return of the Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh and to protect their rights. The Assembly calls on Azerbaijan to ensure the protection of the Armenian cultural heritage of the region. Azerbaijan is called upon to release all detained representatives of Nagorno-Karabakh and all Armenian prisoners of war held in Azerbaijan.
The resolution addresses the dire humanitarian situation caused by the forced displacement of Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians from their homeland. It emphasizes the need to support Armenia, including through the actions of the Council of Europe. The Assembly strongly believes that the long-standing and tragic conflict can only be resolved peacefully through dialogue and unequivocal signals of goodwill based on applicable international law, with full respect for the rights of every person living there.
The Assembly calls Azerbaijan to do everything to show its willingness to live peacefully with neighboring Armenia. The Assembly expects that Armenia and Azerbaijan will respect each other’s territorial integrity and sovereignty and the inviolability of borders, based on the 1991 Declaration of Almaty. The Assembly calls for opening regional channels based on countries’ sovereignty, territorial integrity, and national jurisdiction. In this context, the Assembly emphasizes that the possible connection with Nakhijan cannot be launched against the will of Armenia and to the detriment of Armenia’s national interest.
The Assembly expects the agreement of the Azerbaijani authorities to organize high-level fact-finding visits to international structures. The Assembly considers that in addition to the urgent need for the relevant institutions and bodies of the Council of Europe to enter the region, the authorities of Azerbaijan should regularly provide the Secretary General of the Council of Europe and the Committee of Ministers with complete and detailed information on the measures taken or to be taken, which are intended to protect and expand the Convention. The rights and freedoms of Armenians in the region, including the security of those who wish to return.
The Parliamentary Assembly invites the Committee of Ministers to take urgent measures to address the emigration of almost the Armenian population of Nagorno Karabakh and the humanitarian and human rights crisis affecting them. Deeply concerned about the situation, which raises many suspicions of ethnic cleansing. Expresses regret that Azerbaijan did not honor the commitment to resolve the conflict peacefully, which it undertook with the European Union when joining the council.
The Assembly requests that the Secretary-General and the Committee of Ministers organize as soon as possible the visit of a fact-finding mission of the Council of Europe, which will aim to assess on the ground and outline measures to be taken to protect the rights of local Armenians, including those who have found refuge outside the country, and to ensure the safety of all of them—return, who will want to return.
Welcomes the fact-finding mission of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Migration and Refugees to Armenia to assess the assistance to be provided by the Organization in the current situation. The Assembly notes that it will carefully follow the measures taken by the authorities of Azerbaijan and the fulfillment of the international obligations undertaken by the latter.
