France, Strasbourg, Jan. 25 /Trend A.Maharramli/
The Council of Europe should use effective measures to restore the rights of more than one million Azerbaijani refugees and internally displaced persons, a member of the Azerbaijani delegation to PACE Ganira Pashayeva said on Monday.
"The PACE adopted a 1416 resolution. But its conditions are not fulfilled until today. In addition, there is a resolution on the 2008 events in Armenia, and Armenia ignores it too. Why is the Council of Europe demonstrates the tolerance to the serious violations of human rights by Armenia? Armenia has occupied part of Azerbaijan's territory. This fact prevents returning to home the refugees and internally displaced persons. Failure to comply with the 1416 resolution violates the rights of more than one million Azerbaijani refugees and internally displaced people. Which effective mechanisms can Council of Europe use to resolve the current situation?"- Pashayeva said, referring to the Secretary-General of the Council of Europe Thorbjorn Jagland after his speech at the plenary session.
The resolving of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict is outside of the direct competence of the Council of Europe (CoE), Jagland said.
"We are not involved directly in resolving of this conflict. The resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is under the OSCE Minsk Group competence. As I pointed out in my speech, the rule of law is an indivisible part of the solution of conflicts in Europe, and it should be more attention paid to this issue. This principle is certainly one of the parts of the peacekeeping strategy, which can help in resolving many frozen conflicts in Europe", Jagland said.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan since 1992, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and 7 surrounding districts.
Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group - Russia, France, and the U.S. - are currently holding the peace negotiations.
Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council's four resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions.