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The European Armenian Federation for Justice and Democracy (EAFJD/ANC of Europe) has initiated a change.org petition and is urging active participation to prevent the Parliamentary Assembly of Council of Europe (PACE) from adopting pro-Azerbaijani resolutions that can hinder the Nagorno-Karabagh peace process, Armenian Weekly writes.

The authors remind that during sessions in the fall, two PACE subcommittees approved measures that contained pro-Azerbaijani rhetoric on the Nagorno-Karabagh conflict. The OSCE Minsk Group co-chairmen issued a terse statement at the time, urging international bodies to consult with the Minsk Group before issuing resolutions that impede the peace process.

PACE is expected to vote on the following two draft resolutions on Nagorno Karabagh Republic on January 26.  As a rapporteur of the first resolution, Robert Walter, violated several rules of the code of conduct of PACE members, such as the principle of neutrality, impartiality, and objectivity; the principle of avoiding conflict of interest; the principle of not using one’s position as a PACE member to further one’s own, another person’s, or an entity’s interest as well as the principle of respecting the values of the Council of Europe.

Besides, Robert Walter and his wife, Feride Alp-Walter, marketing manager of the Middle East Association, have maintained a close relationship with the authorities and the ruling elites of Azerbaijan for a long time, including taking a high-level British trade mission to Baku in close cooperation with the Embassy of Azerbaijan and the European Azerbaijan Society (TEAS), a lobbying organization that has strong ties with the Azerbaijani government and President Ilham Aliyev’s inner circle.

It is also highlighted that Walter’s support for the government of Ilham Aliyev, while turning a blind eye to undemocratic processes in the country, has been frequently criticized by human rights activists in Azerbaijan, respected European watchdogs as well as various well-known international media.

According to the authors, just a first glance at the draft resolution is enough to realize that it is a word-for-word reflection of the official Azerbaijani and Turkish stance on the Nagorno-Karabagh conflict. Official Turkey has always openly supported Azerbaijan in the Nagorno-Karabagh conflict. Walter and his wife, both Turkish citizens, have had cozy ties with the Turkish government. Walter received his Turkish ID card personally from Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlyut Chavushoglu. In 2011, Mevlyut Chavushoglu was among the guests of Walter’s and Feride Alp’s wedding.

Despite, the draft resolution by Robert Walter is far from reflecting the reality on the escalation of tension on the contact line between Armenia and Azerbaijan. The draft resolution by Walter selectively leaves out crucial information. For instance, it fails to mention important facts, including that unlike Armenia, on September 27, 2015, official Azerbaijan dismissed the proposal made by the OSCE Minsk Group to accept an OSCE mechanism to investigate ceasefire violations. The mechanism would enable the identification of the initiator of ceasefire violations and make it difficult for the sides to blame each other for initiating deadly attacks. The logical answer to the question why official Azerbaijan, which continuously blames the Armenian side for violating the ceasefire, is not interested in such a mechanism is evident.

‘’This draft report is also a rather dangerous and irresponsible attempt to create a parallel mechanism, without having the necessary legitimacy and the mandate from the parties involved in the conflict. The prompt critical reaction of the co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group—the sole official body with the mandate to mediate—to the draft resolution by rapporteur Mr. Walter emphasizes the harm it causes to the negotiation process and thus to the peaceful settlement of the conflict,’’ the authors of the petition note.

The second draft resolution written by a parliamentary from Bosnia and Herzegovina Milica Marković lacks impartial and thorough research. Despite the prompt invitations of both the Armenian and Nagorno-Karabagh Republic authorities to visit Sarsang reservoir as initially requested by rapporteur Milica Marković, neither Marković nor technical expert Lydia S. Vamvakeridou-Lyroudia were on the ground. Thus, both the draft resolution and the technical report are based on the rather approximate simulations of the corresponding Azerbaijani Ministry information based on data from 1993, as well as hearsay, although there was clearly an opportunity to visit the reservoir and get acquainted with the actual state of things.

The technical report drafted by expert Lydia S. Vamvakeridou-Lyroudia clearly specifies: “Although Sarsang is an earth-fill dam, which in principle is far less dangerous and much more safe when it comes to sudden collapse it should be pointed out that without a visual inspection of the dam there is no way to assess its condition and any potential security risks from the technical point of view.” Despite this, the rapporteur and the technical expert opted to ignore the invitation of the authorities of Nagorno-Karabagh Republic to visit the Sarsang reservoir and examine the state of inspection and maintenance of the reservoir.

Nonetheless, instead of urging the sides to engage in a dialogue in order to ensure a safe management of the reservoir, Marković demands an “immediate withdrawal of Armenian armed forces from the region concerned.”