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MP Armen Gevorgyan of the opposition Hayastah bloc, a member of the Armenian delegation at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), raised a number of questions in his undelivered speech as part of Monday’s progress report on the activities of the PACE Bureau and Standing Committee. His full speech is provided below.

"In the context of the continuous aggression of Azerbaijan against Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh I would like to raise the following questions:

Our organisation had preferred to limit itself by vague and unaddressed statements which would put signs of equality between and among the parties to this conflict. Hence, I would like to be told: what's the clear and unambiguous position of our organisation: is Azerbaijan an aggressor state, and should it withdraw troops from the occupied soveriegn territories of Armenia?

There are two paths forward in Nagorno Karabakh and only one of which, I believe, the Council of Europe must encourage and endorse: namely, the respect for the right of people to self-determination. The other alternative is silent indulgence of the authorities in Azerbaijan to gradually annihilate and uproot the Armenians from their historic homeland - just as they did in Nakhijevan. What's the preferred choice for the Council of Europe?

It has become a "new normal" to witness when democratic norms, freedoms and traditions are being sacrificed for geopolitical interests and access to energy resources in the Caspian. I would like to know when has Azerbaijan been a more democratic state for the Council of Europe - when it was actively fighting against the Armenian population in Nagorno Karabakh, or today - as it engages in war crimes and other forms of crimes against humanity against the people in Republic of Armenia?

It's clear by now, that in those international forums, where Turkey and Azerbaijan do not partake or have dominant roles, the issues of Nagorno Karabakh or armed aggression against Armenia are being discussed more objectively. Do I understand it right, that in our organisation the issues of human rights, democracy and rule of law are being decisively influenced by lobbying and resources by certain national delegations?

Is there any understanding, that the slogan posted by the President of Azerbaijan “We will restore Karabakh and Zangezur" is a clear recipe for disaster? It is a grave violation of the fundamental norms of international law, second it is a grave disrespect towards the international partners in the peace process, and third it is an open call to arms aimed at redrawing the political map of South Caucasus in accordance with the Turkic aspirations for a new Turkic World - at the expense of sovereign territories of Armenia?"