ArmInfo. The military actions between Armenia and Azerbaijan and the processes that took place after the trilateral statement of 9-10 November 2020 and to this day are of great importance for the Council of Europe, and all this was closely followed by the Monitoring Commission. This is stated in the statement of the Monitoring Commission of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE).
It is noted that in coordination with other relevant committees, the commission heard representatives of both countries, as well as independent experts, and the co-rapporteurs on Armenia and Azerbaijan regularly made joint statements on current events.
"The Commission is confident that the national parliaments of the two countries can and should play an important role in the implementation of steps to build mutual trust, the reconciliation process and the resumption of peace negotiations between the parties. The Commission therefore welcomes the progress made in the implementation of the tripartite declaration, but is concerned about reports that not all those arrested were exchanged in the context of this conflict. In addition, the commission believes that both sides should strengthen cooperation and communication aimed at clearing the mentioned territories in order to ensure the safety of the civilian population," the statement reads.
However, the Committee reiterates that the clear purpose of paragraph 8 of the tripartite declaration is to exchange all those arrested, without distinction as to the status granted to them by one of the parties. "Underlining the concerns expressed by the European Court of Human Rights regarding the alleged 188 Armenians captured by Azerbaijan, the Commission calls on the Azerbaijani side to ensure the immediate release of all detained Armenians and their transfer to the Armenian authorities.
The Commission believes that the establishment of an independent international mission to investigate violations of human rights and humanitarian law during the recent hostilities can contribute to creating an enabling environment for reconciliation and real peace. Cultural heritage is important to all parties to the conflict, and the immediate establishment of the necessary mechanisms to ensure its protection and restoration is a priority. Therefore, the Monitoring Commission has instructed its subcommittee dealing with conflicts between the member states of the Council of Europe to study in more detail the specific mechanisms for resolving these two issues," the statement reads.
In conclusion, the Commission calls on both sides to cooperate constructively with the relevant international institutions, in particular the OSCE Minsk Group, in order to fully implement the trilateral statement and start peace negotiations.