Armenian MP says Council of Europe report on Karabakh unbalanced

Hayots Ashkarh, Yerevan
11 Jan 05

Excerpt from Vaan Vardanyan’s report by Armenian newspaper Hayots
Ashkarh on 11 January headlined “It will be difficult in Strasbourg”

The Armenian parliamentary delegation will soon leave for Strasbourg
to take part in a PACE [Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of
Europe] session. We have interviewed the chairman of the Foreign
Relations Commission of the National Assembly, Armen Rustamyan, in
this connection.

[Hayots Ashkarh correspondent] Mr Rustamyan, [PACE rapporteur] David
Atkinson’s report on the Karabakh issue will be discussed at a PACE
plenary session. When will our delegation leave for Strasbourg? What
are your expectations from the discussion of this issue? [Passage
omitted]

[Armen Rustamyan] We should explain to the PACE delegates that it is
unacceptable to adopt a resolution when the representation balance
between the conflicting parties has been disturbed.

[Correspondent] Do you mean that NKR [Nagornyy Karabakh Republic]
representatives have not been invited to the Council of Europe to take
part in the discussions?

[Rustamyan] Yes, I do. Balance has really been disturbed in this
sense. It is not clear how the conflict can be discussed when one of
the directly involved parties does not take part in this discussion?
For this reason we have to put forward Karabakh’s positions as well,
noting that they are not Armenia’s but of a party to the conflict that
is being ignored.

When Armenia and Azerbaijan joined the Council of Europe and assumed
obligations, the Council of Europe was given the following task to
settle relations between the parties: to promote a peaceful
settlement, relieve tension and create conditions for
rapprochement. But if the provisions of the document that will be
adopted in PACE are not balanced, it may have an adverse effect that
will aggravate the situation.

[Correspondent] Do you think the Azerbaijani delegation is pleased
with Atkinson’s report and the [expected] resolution?

[Rustamyan] In some sense it is very advantageous to Azerbaijan
because it contains a number of points and unclear wording which can
be used in the future for propaganda ends. The major pitfall is that
according to the general logic of the document, the conflict has not
three but two parties – Armenia and Azerbaijan – but this does not
correspond to reality. At the same time, they hint using the vague
wording that one of the parties has occupied the territories of the
other.

In fact, the Azerbaijani delegation does not fight against this
document in any way. However, I am sure that by strengthening their
positions even more they will submit a package of changes so that in
the future they can use it to tamper with the essence of the
conflict. [Passage omitted]