Doc. 11144
23 January 2007

Actions of the leadership of Armenia undermining the Armenia-Azerbaijan ongoing peace process

Written question No 513 to the Committee of Ministers
presented by Mrs Pashayeva

      As the international community is well-aware, the illegal military regime established by the Republic of Armenia in the occupied Nagorno-Karabakh region of the Republic of Azerbaijan conducted "constitutional referendum'' on 10 December 2006.

      This act is in direct violation of the Constitution of Azerbaijan, as well as relevant norms and principles of international law, and endangers the ongoing peace process. The so-called referendum and its results are null and void and shall not mislead the international community, which is well-informed of the occupation and ethnic cleansing carried out by the Armenian armed forces against all non-Armenian population in the Nagorno-Karabakh region and other occupied territories of Azerbaijan.

      Future constitutional document envisaging a self-rule for the population of the Nagorno-Karabakh region can only be elaborated through a legal, democratic and peaceful process with a full, equal and direct participation of the entire population of the region, including both Armenian and Azerbaijani communities.

      The illegal "referendum" was conducted by the Armenian side despite numerous warnings of various international organizations, including the Council of Europe, European Union, and OSCE that the poll would be unhelpful and even detrimental to the ongoing peace process.

      We deem sending a letter of congratulations on the occasion of the "referendum" by President Robert Kocharian as a non-constructive step which is harmful to the very process of diplomatic negotiations aimed at peaceful resolution of the conflict, to which President of Armenia and his foreign minister are parties. As stated by the OSCE Minsk Group Co-chairs, "conducting such a referendum… is particularly unhelpful at a moment when the OSCE Minsk Group-mediated negotiations between Armenia and Azerbaijan appear to be on a constructive path".

      Armenian leadership has consciously chosen to ignore relevant decisions of the international community, including the PACE Resolution 1416, and impede the peace process by pre-empting its outcome.

      Expressing its deep concern over the potential negative impact of the above-mentioned in terms of broader regional security, Mrs Pashayeva asks the Committee of Ministers:

      - whether discussing the steps undertaken in this context by the leadership of the Republic of Armenia and providing adequate legal and political assessment of its obvious detrimental consequences is in place;

      - why does the Committee of Ministers refrain from making use of effective mechanisms at its disposal to influence the Government of Armenia to abstain in the future from actions that prevent lasting peace in the region from being achieved, including its continued non-compliance with the PACE Resolution 1416 (2003)?

Signed 1:

1        SOC: Socialist Group
      EPP/CD: Group of the European People’s Party
      ALDE: Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe
      EDG: European Democratic Group
      UEL: Group of the Unified European Left
      NR: not registered in a group