Armenia’s National Assembly Speaker Ararat Mirzoyan met with Paul Gavan, Rapporteur of the Committee on Migration, Refugees and Population of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE).
Welcoming the guest, the Speaker of the National Assembly emphasized that the Armenian side attaches great importance to PACE, highly appreciates the discussions held in this structure on Artsakh and the Armenian prisoners of war.
Ararat Mirzoyan referred to the war crimes committed by Azerbaijan during the 44-day war, the non-fulfillment of Azerbaijan’s obligation to return prisoners of war enshrined in a tripartite declaration, and the policy of anti-Armenianism continued by official Baku, one of the latest manifestations of which was the opening of the infamous park. The Speaker of the Parliament also presented information on the incursion of the Azerbaijani armed forces into the territory of the Republic of Armenia, adding that the recent drill in Azerbaijan have not been properly announced in advance, which is another gross violation of international law.
Gavan thanked Mirzoyan for his support in organizing the reception, organizing his fact-finding work in Armenia, and assured that the report to be submitted to the PACE would fully reflect the existing reality.
Mirzoyan stated with regret that the Azerbaijani side creates problems for the rapporteur’s visit to Artsakh, then expressed conviction that there can be no gray areas in the PACE territory, it is necessary to get acquainted with the violation of the rights of Artsakh Armenians on the spot.
Answering the question of his colleague, the Speaker of the National Assembly noted that the Armenian side sees the final settlement of the conflict within the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairing of the only international mandate, after Azerbaijan returns all Armenian prisoners of war and other detainees, withdraws armed forces from Armenia and puts an end to the anti-Armenian policy.
