Strasbourg, France, June 23
By Anar Aliyev - Trend:
An Azerbaijani MP called on the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) to apply sanctions against Armenia.
On Monday, June 22, on the first working day of the PACE summer session, the Azerbaijani delegation member Rafael Huseynov urged the Assembly to impose sanctions on Armenia.
"I'd like to draw your attention to one very troubling issue," said Huseynov, recalling that the PACE Bureau unanimously appointed Robert Walter as the rapporteur on the topic 'Escalation of violence in Nagorno-Karabakh and other occupied territories of Azerbaijan.'
"However, Armenia doesn't recognize the Bureau's decision, and isn't letting the rapporteur to enter its territory and the occupied territories of Azerbaijan," he said.
The MP said it is difficult to logically explain such a tolerant attitude of the Bureau towards Armenia.
"At a time when sanctions are imposed against Russia, why aren't serious and decisive steps taken with regard to Armenia? It was necessary to apply such sanctions against Armenia at least 10 years ago," he said.
"What prevents the Bureau to do so?" he further asked.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.
The two countries signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, Russia, France and the US are currently holding peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented the UN Security Council's four resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions.
Edited by SI