PACE Rapporteur Milica Marković at centre of scandal
Rapporteur of Bosnia and Herzegovina at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) Milica Marković has found herself at the centre of a scandal in her country. BLIC news agency has touched upon Marković;s activities in the PACE.
The article entitled “The MP of Bosnia and Herzegovina at the centre of the diplomatic war between Armenia and Azerbaijan” notes that PACE Rapporteur Milica Marković is suspected of having received bribes from the Azerbaijani side in order to write her report on Nagorno Karabakh in favour of Azerbaijan. To note, in PACE Milica Marković has prepared a report on Sarsang reservoir in NKR. The report is entitled “Inhabitants of frontier regions of Azerbaijan are deliberately deprived of water”. The report was approved by the PACE Committee on 26 January 2016.
The news agency reports that the MPs of the Parliament of Bosnia and Herzegovina were handed over a letter which was claimed to have been sent from PACE.
“Nagorno Karbakh, the majority of the population of which make up Armenians, declared itself independent from Azerbaijan in 1991. However the country has not received international recognition. Until now the political, and sometimes the military conflict between Armenian and Azerbaijan have continued, as a result of which in 2014 Marković was appointed as PACE Rapporteur to collect comprehensive information on the reservoirs in that region. Her report has been adopted which has evidently infuriated Armenians.
The agency also underscores that during the discussion of one of the recent resolutions, which was not adopted, proves were presented claiming that Italian MP Luca Volonte had received a significant amount of 2.4 million euros on his account. Thus, as the news agency reports, Armenia alleges that the same agreement has been reached between Milica Marković and Azerbaijani authorities.
Marković has denied all the allegations during the interview with EuroBlic.
She has added that “the Armenians have refused to cooperate with her, they have been angry and have started writing letters which they have also received.”
Notably while preparing the report Milica Marković has paid a fact-finding visit to Azerbaijan. However the rapporteur put forward different reasons to avoid visiting NKR where the Sarsang reservoir is located.