REFORM PROCESS IN SOUTH-CAUCASUS NEEDS TO BE BOOSTED, SAYS PACE PRESIDENT

Council of Europe

Aug 25 2005

Strasbourg, 25.08.2005 – Constitutional reform in Armenia, the
forthcoming elections in Azerbaijan and reforms in Georgia were the
main issues discussed during high-level meetings held by the President
of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), Rene
van der Linden during his visit to the South Caucasus from 18 to 23
August. Overall, the President concluded that the reform process in
the South-Caucasus as a whole needs to be boosted.

In Armenia, the President urged dialogue between the government,
opposition and civil society. The constitutional reform was a
test case for further democratic development in Armenia and of its
willingness to fulfil its obligations and commitments to the Council
of Europe, he said. The success of the referendum would depend in
particular on the revision of voters’ lists, media independence and
the organisation of an effective public awareness raising campaign.
The President appealed to government and opposition parties to use
the coming days to reach an agreement on joint amendments, so as to
attract the broadest support for reform. He said that failure of the
reform process would have negative consequences for the country as
a whole. He also urged all political actors to enhance their efforts
to ensure good relations with Armenia’s neighbours.

President van der Linden welcomed the progress made since the Rose
Revolution in Georgia, while recognising that state and society can
not be transformed overnight. He urged the authorities to maintain
the momentum of reform so as to ensure that all obligations and
commitments were met within the previously extended deadlines. He
stressed that an effective system of checks and balances, including
a strong opposition, independent judiciary, active civil society
and free media were necessary to the process of democratic reform;
they should not be considered only as part of its eventual result.

Reform of local self government was a particularly important aspect
of Georgia’s democratisation process and the President encouraged the
authorities to persevere in the ambitious and far-reaching legislative
agenda on this issue. On foreign policy, the President encouraged
the authorities to pursue all avenues for the peaceful resolution
of conflicts, not only those in South Ossetia and Abkhazia, but also
that concerning Nagorno-Karabakh.

In Azerbaijan, the President stressed that the November elections
would be a test case for the country and an important opportunity
for the international community to see that the government was doing
its utmost to ensure free and fair elections. With regard to the
electoral fraud committed during the 2003, Rene van der Linden was
reassured by President Aliyev’s promise that a full investigation
would be completed by November.

He noted the importance of election monitoring and reminded the
authorities that in January 2006 PACE would consider the report of
its own 40-strong election observation mission. The authorities
should reinforce and guarantee media independence and pluralism,
including by bringing the capital’s Public TV station into operation.
He urged all political parties to approach the elections in a positive
and constructive spirit of democracy. The President considered that
the issues of political prisoners and the murder of Elmar Huseynov
were also important for the elections. He called on the authorities to
take all the necessary action to ensure that neither the opposition
nor the media would continue to feel at risk as a result of their
lawful and democratic activities.

On the issue of Nagorno-Karabakh, the President stated his intention
to enhance the possibility for parliamentary diplomacy available to
the countries’ PACE delegations as a complement to the primary means
of bilateral diplomacy and the Minsk Group process. He added that
democratic development in the two countries would create a better
climate for finding a solution.

In all three countries, the President had met religious leaders and
noted with great satisfaction the active and positive role they had
played together in the reconciliation process. He reminded all those
he met that there would be no sustainable development or prosperity
and no future for the region’s children without a peaceful settlement.

Press release announcing his visit to the South Caucasus

Contact: Communication Unit of the Council of Europe Parliamentary
Assembly Tel. +33 3 88 41 31 93 Fax +33 3 90 21 41 34; e-mail:
pace.com@coe.int