21:38,

YEREVAN, APRIL 20, ARMENPRESS. During this period the opinion that they are abandoned by the international community has spread widely among the residents of the Republic of Artsakh, while Azerbaijan continues to violate its own international obligations without any consequences for itself. In this regard, "Artsakhpress" news agency asked Artur Tovmasyan, the Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of Artsakh, what kind of expectations there are, in particular, from the Council of Europe, an organization that is authorized to protect human rights in its entire geographical area, including Artsakh.

In response, the Speaker of the National Assembly of Artsakh noted that within the framework of informing the international community about the humanitarian and human rights-related consequences of blocking the Lachin Corridor, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh Republic) has sent letters to the leadership of the Council of Europe and all member-states, asking them to take immediate measures, to prevent further violations of the European Convention on Human Rights by Azerbaijan.

“Responding to the situation, the Chairman of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, the Commissioner for Human Rights and the PACE co-rapporteurs on the issues of Armenia and Azerbaijan issued statements calling for the opening of the corridor, and the European Court of Human Rights applied interim measures against Azerbaijan. After the discussions on the pending issues held in January, a report entitled "Elimination of the consequences of blocking the Lachin Corridor" is being prepared in the Parliamentary Assembly. At the same time, we are deeply disappointed by the absence of a targeted appeal from the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, who after the very weak statement made on December 15, 2022, decided to remain silent in the conditions of the ongoing blockade and the publicly announced goal of ethnic cleansing of Artsakh by Azerbaijan”, Artur Tovmasyan said.

According to Artur Tovmasyan, while all the leading international human rights defenders continue to raise the alarm and call for urgent steps to be taken to end the blockade of Artsakh, the Secretary General of the Council of Europe has stayed away from this human rights crisis, showing double standards and a selective approach to fulfilling his official duties and fulfilling the organization's mandate in general. The same can be said about the President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.

"Silence and inaction of such high-ranking officials is tantamount to giving consent, if not complicity, given that more than a hundred thousand people in the zone of responsibility  of the Council of Europe remain abandoned amid massive violations of human rights, deep-rooted hatred, physical and psychological intimidation by the autocratic regime of Azerbaijan and its state apparatus. Ultimately, the leadership of the Council of Europe must be committed to the ideals and values of the organization and work for the benefit of the most disadvantaged and vulnerable groups of people, rather than being guided by the principle of political expediency.

Human rights and the rule of law should not be sacrificed for shameful economic and political calculations. Each new day of Azerbaijan's blockade of Nagorno-Karabakh is another day of shame for those who have an international mandate for protection and the necessary tools for it, but prefer not to act. We reiterate our call to the Council of Europe and its leadership to act decisively for the protection of human rights, democracy and the rule of law. We expect from the Committee of Ministers an unequivocal political assessment of Azerbaijan's barbaric actions, as well as the use of all its tools, including the implementation of a fact-finding mission to end the policy of ethnic cleansing and hold Baku accountable for not fulfilling its obligations," said Artur Tovmasyan, adding , that while the Council of Europe is preparing for its 4th summit, it should demonstrate in practice that human rights are universal and that the values proclaimed by the organization are placed above political and economic interests.