Armenian lobby to try to hinder PACE resolutions' approval

/By AzerNews/

By Sara Rajabova

Azerbaijani MP Asim Mollazade has said the Armenian lobby will take steps to obstacle approval of resolutions of the PACE political affairs committee on Azerbaijan.

Mollazade stressed that the adoption of resolutions on Azerbaijan by the PACE committee is an important step in terms of international law.

PACE’s political affairs committee approved on November 4 the draft resolution for “the withdrawal of Armenian armed forces and other irregular armed forces from Nagorno-Karabakh and the other occupied territories of Azerbaijan and the establishment of the full sovereignty of Azerbaijan in these territories," within the framework of the OSCE Minsk process.

The draft resolution was based on a report, titled “Escalation of violence in Nagorno-Karabakh and other occupied territories of Azerbaijan,” by PACE Rapporteur Robert Walter.

On November 23, the PACE's social affairs committee adopted the draft resolution “Intentional deprivation of the residents of the Azerbaijani border regions of water.”

Mollazade told Trend that if these resolutions are not finally approved, it will become a huge step backwards for Europe, and a blow to international law and European values.

“I don’t think Europe will go so as far as to deprive Armenia of voting right, the Armenian lobby is very influential in Europe,” the MP said, while commenting on the information about such a possibility, which has recently appeared in Armenian media.

He added that Azerbaijan should bring the fact of occupation of its territories and the Armenian aggression to Europe’s attention.

Armenia and Azerbaijan fought a lengthy war that ended with the signing of a fragile ceasefire in 1994. More than 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed and over 1 million people were displaced as a result of the large-scale hostilities. Since the war, the Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan's territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding regions.

Armenia continues the occupation in defiance of four UN Security Council resolutions calling for the immediate and unconditional withdrawal of armed forces.

Peace talks brokered by mediators from Russia, France and the U.S. have so far produced no results.