AZERI MP:ARMENIA DELAYS VISIT OF PACE MISSION TO REGION

Trend News Agency, Azerbaijan
April 10 2007

Azerbaijan, Baku / corr. Trend I.Alizade / The Head of the Azerbaijani
delegation of PACE and Chairman of the Azerbaijan Parliament’s
Permanent Commission for Inter-Parliamentary and International
Relations, Samad Seyidov, said that Armenia delayed the visit of the
Rapporteur of the PACE Cultural, Education and Scientific Committee for
the study of the cultural heritage in South Caucasus, Edward O’Hara.

He stressed that the direction of the visit had already been
specified. Firstly O’Hara will leave for Armenia to study the condition
of Azerbaijani and Georgian cultural monuments. Thereafter, he should
depart to Georgia to study the condition of Azerbaijani and Armenian
monuments. He will come to Azerbaijan from Georgia and leave for the
Nagorno-Karabakh and other occupied regions of Azerbaijan, as well
as visit Nakchivan Autonomous Republic.

"However, Armenian delayed O’Hara’s visit under the pretence of
parliamentary elections in Armenia on 12 April because O’Hara’s
study is not useful to Armenia due to the destruction of Azerbaijani
monuments in Armenia and in occupied Azerbaijani lands," Seyidov
said. He stressed that a special mission has been established by the
Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Terry Davis, to study
the cultural heritage of South Caucasus. However, the visits of these
missions were annulled due to obstacles imposed by Armenia. Consent
of each of the three South Caucasus countries was required to realize
the visit. The Head of the Azerbaijani delegation said that Azerbaijan
is interested in the visit of O’Hara and mission to the region.

Azerbaijan is open to all rapporteurs. "We are interested in the
visit of the mission established by Terry Davis because the mission
includes strong experts," he said.