Samed Seyidov: Armenian deputies block the work of PACE subcommittee on Karabakh

The Head of the Azerbaijani delegation to PACE, Samed Seyidov, speaking on June 25 at the PACE session, called for the resumption of the activity of the assembly subcommittee on Nagorno-Karabakh.

    He noted that the Armenian deputies avoid holding meetings with deputies from Azerbaijan, as well as meetings of the subcommittee.

     "How can you speak about measures of mutual trust without a dialogue? It is essential that the Assembly hold discussions on issues relating to the relationship between the member-states," said Seyidov.

     According to Turan’s special correspondent to Strasbourg, Seyidov called on PACE to influence the Armenian delegation so that it does not block the work of the subcommittee on Nagorno-Karabakh.

     A Deputy from Armenia, Arutyunyan, without expressing his attitude on the issue of resuming Nagorno-Karabakh subcommittee work, said that the Armenian delegation is “for” the dialogue, and previously proposed to stop mutual blaming in the Assembly.

     According to him, "despite the Azerbaijani delegation not supporting this initiative, the Armenian delegation supports it unilaterally."

     The subcommittee on Nagorno-Karabakh was established in 2005 in accordance with a resolution adopted at the January session of the Assembly in January 2005, on the basis of a report by Lord Atkinson. The document expressed support for the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan.

    The group was headed by British deputy Lord Russell-Johnston, but after his death in 2008, the work of the subcommittee was suspended. In recent years, the Armenian deputies avoid participation in the work of the subcommittee.–06C--