PACE CONCERNED ABOUT SITUATION IN ARMENIA – PACE CHAIRMAN

Trend News Agency
April 14 2008
Azerbaijan

France, Strasburg, 14 April / TrendNews corr A. Maharramli, I. Alizade/
PACE is concerned about the authorities-opposition crisis in Armenia
which emerged from the presidential elections in the country.

"We – the Assembly and I, as the head of the organization, are deeply
concerned about the ongoing situation in Armenia," Luis Maria de Puig,
the Chairman of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe,
said at the press conference on 14 April.

The Chairman said that PACE had already carried out some work in this
connection and is now trying to find ways out of the situation.

"During my recent meeting with Armenian Speaker Torosyan at
St. Petersburg I once again attempted to remind him of the CE norms
and standards. I informed him of my opinion regarding the violation
of a range of CE principles and standards by his country," he said.

According to Puig, PACE supervised the recent elections in Armenia
and sent in an expert when the country was experiencing the aftermath
of the elections to study the situation. "We made several warnings.

If the Armenian Administration really supports the CE principles and
accepts all the points of obligation it has undertaken, we have to
do so that Armenia will correct the violated elements. We decided to
discuss the issue and will adopt a recommendatory document afterwards,"
Puig said.

"We believe that Armenia accepts the CE principles and tries to fulfil
them, but if some problems occur we will insist on Armenia’s accepting
the CE standards," he said.