Council of Europe Secretary General reacts to inaccurate media coverage
of his visit to Armenia
Strasbourg, 7.11.2007 – Following his recent visit to Armenia, Council
of Europe Secretary General Terry Davis today made the following
statement:
"There can be no genuine democracy without freedom of expression, and
there can be no genuine freedom of expression without journalists who
respect the professional and ethical standards of their profession.
"The media coverage of my recent visit was very extensive, but
unfortunately some of it was not accurate. Of course, Armenian
journalists are entitled to disagree or criticise my views on issues
such as Nagorno Karabakh, but I object strongly to being misquoted and
misinterpreted.
"Several newspapers have claimed that I compared the recent elections in
Nagorno Karabakh to a gay pride march. This is simply untrue and
complete nonsense. I was making the point that my position on the
territorial integrity of Council of Europe member states and
consequently the legal status of Nagorno Karabakh is well-known,
consistent and clear.
"The fact that I do not react every time some elections take place in
Nagorno Karabakh, does not mean that I have changed my position on their
lack of validity and legitimacy. I drew a parallel with the
increasingly frequent restrictions of freedom of expression by gay and
lesbian communities in several European countries. The fact that I do
not always react when a mayor bans a gay pride march does not mean that
I have changed my clear, well-known and consistent position that such
restrictions violate the European Convention on Human Rights.
"One newspaper has suggested that I was offended by the fact that I did
not meet President Kocharian. That is also untrue. I was informed in
advance and fully understood the reason for which it was impossible to
organise such a meeting.
"I am very satisfied with the results of my visit in Armenia and the
frank discussions I had with my interlocutors. We may not always agree,
but what is important is that we listen to each other and respect each
other’s views."
ED144a07
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress