STRASBOURG—The European Armenian Federation for Justice and Democracy announced that a delegation of Members of the European Parliament visited Armenia and the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic from October 27 to 31, in order to assess the Karabakh conflict resolution process.
During their stay, Michele Rivasi, a member of Euronest Delegation, from Greens/European Free Alliance Group and Damien Abad, a member of Euronest and the EU-South Caucasus Parliamentary delegation, from the European Popular Party, were accompanied by European Parliament staff for a detailed mission to assess the current socio-political situation in the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic.
“It is unacceptable that hundreds of thousands of Armenian victims of the pogroms and deportations organized by Azerbaijan, are deprived of the international statute of refugee,” declared Rivasi. She proposed the implementation of an international investigation on the atrocities against the Armenians which led to the conflict.
“I think that the OSCE Minsk Group remains the best format to find a peaceful and sustainable solution to the conflict,” added Abad. He stressed the importance for France to fully play its role in the co-presidency of the Minsk group, along with Russia and the United States.
The European Parliament members pledged to look into the possibility of assistance to the population of Nagorno-Karabakh in the fields of environment, energy and education.
“This European aid exists in the South Caucasus region for Abkhazia and South Ossetia, but it is refused in Nagorno-Karabakh,” commented Hilda Tchoboian, the Chairperson of the European Armenian Federation. She emphasized the fact that Nagorno-Karabakh declared independence in accordance with the laws of the Soviet Union and with the full respect of the principles of the international law.
“All around the world, the European Union undertakes huge efforts in order to help states improve their democratic institutions and good governance record. It is inconceivable that the EU continues to ignore the efforts of the Nagorno-Karabakh authorities to create a rule of law,” added Tchoboian.
“We expect the members of the European Parliament to return to the spirit of the European Parliament’s last resolution, in favor of Nagorno-Karabakh’s right to self-determination, and take steps to end the political blockade of the Nagorno-Karabakh,” concluded Tchoboian.
The European Armenian Federation was pleased with the outcome of the visit, which it said gave European Parliamentarians a unique insight into all the judicial, political and humanitarian dimensions of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
While in the region, the delegation met with Nargorno-Karabakh Republic President Bako Sahakian, Speaker of Karabakh’s parliament, Ashot Ghoulian, the leaders of parliamentary blocs represented in the legislature, as well as leaders of refugee assistance groups for displaced persons from Sumgait, Baku, Kirovabad, Minkechaour and Shahumian.
In Yerevan, the delegation visited the Dzidzernakabert Memorial Monument and the Armenian Genocide Institute, and met with Foreign Minister Eduard Nalbandian, the Head of the Delegation of the European Commission to the Republic of Armenia, Raul de Luzenberger, France’s Ambassador to Armenia, Henri Reynaud, Parliament Speaker Hovig Abrahamian, president of the parliamentary committee of foreign relations, Armen Rustamyan and the President of the Euronest Delegation, Vahan Hovannesian, among others.
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