The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) resumed discussions on the results of the observation of the December 9 snap parliamentary elections in Armenia on the first day of its winter session which kicked off on Monday morning. The Assembly held a joint discussion of the Armenian elections and the presidential elections in Georgia.
French MP Nicole Duranton hailed the report presented by the head of the PACE observation mission during the Armenian elections, Aleksander Pociej as ‘complete and balanced’. He voiced concerns over the low turnout in the parliamentary elections.
“The elections were organized well with due regard for fundamental freedoms and media pluralism, however the extremely aggressive rhetoric on the media and social networks is worrisome,” the parliamentarian said, adding the elections were successful for Armenia's democracy.
Slovenian MP Andrej Šircelj, who was included in the PACE observation mission, highlighted the 3-hour debate of the leaders of political forces running for the parliament aired on the Public TV Company.
“However, the hateful rhetoric was noticeable especially in comments on online media during the election campaign,” he said, concluding Armenia's elections were peaceful and calm.
The Azerbaijani delegates in PACE were very active in their remarks, with their criticism targeting this time the positive reports and speeches of the organization on Armenia, calling for a ‘clear stance on Armenia’s supporters.’
‘Concerned’ for the Armenian people, Azerbaijani MP Fataliyeva expressed the hope the new Armenian authorities will act in the interests of the Armenian people and normalize relations with Azerbaijan, which depends on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement.
In response to the emotional speeches of the Azerbaijani delegates, Edmon Marukyan, a member of the Armenian delegation to PACE, said he was happy to see how the Azerbaijani colleagues were following the democratic developments in Armenia and wished Azerbaijan a "velvet revolution" as soon as possible for their own welfare.
