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PACE Standing Committee met in Tirana on May 25. Baroness Emma Nicholson, head of PACE Election Observation Mission to Armenia, made a report on Armenia’s parliamentary elections at the meeting. There are some contradictions in Baroness Emma Nicholson’s speech, Chairman of European Integration NGO Karen Bekaryan told Panorama.am.

“Of course, it was very interesting to get acquainted with Baroness Nicholson’s speech after getting acquainted with the report. I must say no question that emerged while studying the report got answer in her speech. More, new questions emerged, which can be accepted as humor,” Bekaryan said.

According to him, the text of report does not give any exact assessment of progress in Armenia’s democratization process, while Baroness Nicholson’s speech gives such:

“Clearly, report’s authors tried to avoid any positive assessment, trying to smear them as far as possible. For her part, in her speech, Baroness Nicholson twice touched upon this subject by saying, “Armenia certainly has made progress on the path of democracy” and “given great progress in Armenia’s democratization, these issues should be accentuated and resolved.” It is absurd from multiple points of view.”

Regarding Baroness Nicholson’s report, Bekaryan said, “First, I would like to note that Baroness is not empowered to teach anything to anyone. Second, we are not students in that organization. Armenia is a full-fledged member of that organization, with all its consequences. Third, Baroness exceeded her powers. It is absurd not only for her but also for her organization.”

As to the functions of PACE as observer mission, Bekaryan noted, “still during the consideration of the report, it was stressed for several times that it is not clear what functions PACE has in the united observer mission of ODIHR, OSCE PA, European Parliament and PACE. It is not clear why PACE made a separate report on Armenia’s parliamentary elections, with a very small number of PACE representatives in this big team, and if PACE made a report, why it did not repeat the assessments of ODIHR interim report, but put forward new assessments and elements, making up a very small percentage in total information collected.”

“PACE is not someone’s organization. It is also our organization. Given Armenia’s full-fledged membership in PACE, we should feel ourselves masters here. It is not the opposite side of the barricade. It is time that comprehensive discussions reveal possible mechanisms and their implementation methods which could serve as a preventive measure against such situations,” Bekaryan concluded.

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