[Documents/Docheader.htm]Cessation of the membership of the Republic of Armenia in the Council of Europe
Doc. 10308
4 October 2004Written question No 455 to the Committee of Ministers
presented by Mr R. Huseynov
Each organisation should protect its reputation, try not to allow the presentation of statements from its rostrum contradicting its principles, prevent the presence of countries which do not comply with the standards and rules it has determined in that organisation. Of course, this is applied first of all to influential organisation like the Council of Europe which possesses special respect and weight not only in Europe but also in the entire world.
Mr R. Kocharian, President of Armenia, introduced a speech during the June part-session of the Parliamentary Assembly and answered questions. Much of the ideas stated by him from the rostrum of the Parliamentary Assembly fully contradicted the principles of democracy and human rights. There are many facts concerning the difficulties that the press is facing in Armenia, the pressures exerted against the free press and documents were prepared and discussions were held at the Parliamentary Assembly on this matter. However, Mr Kocharian denied all this and accused the Parliamentary Assembly of interference with the internal affairs of his country. In the meantime, the President of Armenia criticised the Parliamentary Assembly for its concerns and criticism over violence carried out by the state against particular persons in his country and, following the non-understandable logic, regarded expression of attitude by the Parliamentary Assembly on these matters as a pressure against his country.
Mr R. Kocharian, who has had a special role in the occupation of 20 % of the territory of another member state of the Council of Europe – Azerbaijan – bringing to one million the number of refugees and displaced persons, admitted concretely and proudly his direct participation in the capture of Shusha city and the massacre of hundreds of civilians in the Khojaly city from the rostrum of the Parliamentary Assembly in June 2004.
During four years of its membership at the Council of Europe the Republic of Armenia has been systematically carrying out activities contradicting the purposes and principles of this institution.
The documents have been repeatedly prepared at the Parliamentary Assembly concerning the engagement of Armenia in the cultivation and transit of drugs in the uncontrolled territories occupied by it, stationing of terrorist camps in the uncontrolled regions, conducting of nuclear research in co-operation with some neighbouring countries and burying of nuclear waste in the occupied territories, carrying out activities endangering seriously the ecology of the region, and refraining from closing the Medzamor nuclear power station which can become a second Chernobyl. Two thirds of the population of Armenia has left the country in connection with the unbearable economic and anti-democratic situation in Armenia.
Taking account of this, Mr Huseynov asks the Committee of Ministers:
Is there a particular article in the Council of Europe Statute envisaging the sanctions to be imposed on countries which do not comply with the rules and principles of this Organisation and Armenia is continuing systematically and manifestly its unlawful activities. What measures can be taken by the Committee of Ministers to implement the requirement of the Statute and cease the membership of Armenia which violates the Parliamentary Assembly principles, in this Organisation?
Signed [1]:
HUSEYNOV, Rafael, Azerbaijan, LDR
SOC
EPP
EDG
LDR
UEL
NRSocialist Group
Group of the European People’s Party
European Democratic Group
Liberal, Democratic and Reformers’ Group
Group of the Unified European Left
Not registered in a group