PACE urges Karabakh parties to honor trilateral statement

PanARMENIAN.Net - The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe has urged the parties to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict to implement as soon as possible the provisions of the trilateral statement related to humanitarian issues.

In a report adopted on Monday, January 25, PACE said its the Monitoring Committee followed the developments regarding the military hostilities which broke out on September 27, 2020 in Karabakh between Armenia and Azerbaijan. According to the Assembly, the Committee initiated a current affairs debate on the subject, organized exchanges of views with the participation of parliamentarians from both sides and monitoring rapporteurs on Armenia and Azerbaijan issued statements calling for the peaceful resolution of the conflict.

PACE also called on all parties involved "to refrain from inflammatory rhetoric hindering political dialogue, Armenia and Azerbaijan to implement as soon as possible the provisions of the trilateral statement related to humanitarian issues, all parties involved to immediately put in action the exchange of prisoners of war and bodies, to respect cultural heritage; it invites the Monitoring Committee to explore avenues to contribute at parliamentary level to an atmosphere conducive to the peace process. The Assembly expresses its serious concern about reports and allegations of violations of humanitarian and human rights law by all sides during this conflict and allegations of degradations to some religious sites and monuments, as well as destruction of private property, and expects these reports to be fully investigated and any violations to be remedied and the perpetrators prosecuted."

In addition, the Assembly said it welcomes Russia's role in peace brokering over the Karabakh conflict.

Earlier on January 20, the European Parliament "strongly condemned" the destabilizing role of Turkey in the South Caucasus region and stressed that a lasting settlement for the Karabakh conflict still remains to be found.