MEMBERS OF ARMENIAN AND AZERBAIJANI MISSIONS IN PACE DISPROVE EACH OTHER

Regnum, Russia
April 13 2006

Deputy Speaker of the Armenian National Assembly, head of the Armenian
mission to PACE Tigran Torosyan has denied a statement made by member
of the Azeri mission in PACE Ganira Pashayeva. Pashayeva said that
an attempt by Tigran Torosyan to propose Russian MP Vera Oskina
to deliver a report from the group of European Democrats “had been
averted.” According to Pashayeva, the head of the Armenian delegation
offered Oskina to make a report at debate on draft report be Boris
Tsilevich “Refugees and IDP population in Armenia, Azerbaijan and
Georgia.”

Talking to a REGNUM correspondent, Tigran Torosyan called the
information absurd. “It goes about a speech on behalf of the
European Democrats Group. The list also includes Vera Oskina. I
proposed to Robert Walter that Oskina delivered a speech, but as
she was not present at the moment, it was decided that Walter would
make a report,” noted Torosyan. Meanwhile, Pashayeva said that the
Azerbaijani delegation urged that from the European Democrats Group a
representative of a more neutral state would speak. “Walter is known
for his unbiased position in South Caucasus,” she said.

Besides, Tigran Torosyan denied reports of the Trend news agency that
member of the Azerbaijani parliamentary mission in PACE Aidyn Mirzazade
“presented information on tragic pages of current Azerbaijan’s
history.” In particular, Mirzazade announced that “Armenia under
pretence of protection rights of Armenians living in the Azerbaijani
territory occupied proportion of the republic’s territories, and over
1 million people were expatriated only because of the fact they were
Azerbaijanis.” According to the agency, Mirzazade also pointed out
“numerous monuments of history and culture destroyed by Armenians,
who had no mercy even on the monuments to Azeri famous poets.” “There
was no such statement,” Tigran Torosyan claims.