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The former chairman of Armenia’s State Revenue Committee (SRC), Davit Ananyan, has reflected on the suspension of Azerbaijan’s membership in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), stating the West decided to “punish” Baku.

The PACE refused to ratify the credentials of the Azerbaijani delegation in a resolution adopted late on Wednesday over human rights violations and Azerbaijan’s failure to fulfil major commitments to the Council of Europe.

The Assembly also cited the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh, noting that Azerbaijan’s leadership “did not acknowledge the very serious humanitarian and human rights consequences” stemming from the lack of free and safe access through the Lachin Corridor, and recalling its condemnation of the September 2023 military operation “which led to the flight of the entire Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia and to allegations of ‘ethnic cleansing’.”

“The PACE so delicately refers to the Assembly resolution "Ensuring free and safe access through the Lachin Corridor" that it seems to be trying to hide its anachronism and its own lack of power in implementing proper supervisory and preventive measures. At the same time, the PACE cynically expresses deep regret over the lack of access to the Lachin corridor. However, somehow, the most touching thing is that PACE observers were not “blessed” to monitor the presidential elections to be held in Azerbaijan on February 7, 2024. What a celebration of political culture they are going to miss!” Ananyan wrote on Facebook on Friday.

He brushed aside the Armenian authorities’ claims that the PACE resolution was a major diplomatic victory achieved by them.

“The reality is that the West turned a blind eye to the exodus of Armenians from Artsakh following the genocidal acts committed by Azerbaijan last September, harboring the hope that this would help squeeze Russia out of the region and force Azerbaijan to fulfill its commitments regarding anti-Iran operations,” the former official said.

"However, unexpectedly, Azerbaijan decides to demonstrate its diplomatic skills, refusing to be a puppet in this play. After swallowing Artsakh, Aliyev makes a sharp U-turn, joining the Russian-Iranian wing, welcoming the presence of Russian peacekeepers in Artsakh and initiating important negotiations with Iran. Azerbaijan clearly does not hesitate to demonstrate its independence, refusing to go to Granada and pointing to its preferred (Russian) platform for resolving issues.

“And here the West, like a film director who has seen an unexpected twist in the plot, decides to use its favorite tools, showing yellow cards through resolutions, which shine like bright lights in the political mosaic, from the French Senate to the PACE. It's all crystal clear and has nothing to do with us: the West decided to punish the rebel,” Ananyan added.