A. Gevorgyan in PACE: Collective punishment of ethnic group is a war  crime

ArmInfo.The Azerbaijani government has continuously pursued a policy of radical racism and ethnic cleansings against "the others" and specifically against  Armenians. Armen Gevorgyan, a member of the Armenian delegation to  PACE, a MP from the "Armenia" opposition faction, stated this in his  speech on progress of the activities of the Bureau and the Standing  Committee.

As the press service of the RA NA reports, Armen Gevorgyan in his  speech noted, in part:  "Mr President:

As you well know, for more than 40 days Nagorno Karabakh has been  under siege by Azerbaijan. For the entire period of its membership in  our organisation, Azerbaijan both in its domestic and foreign policy  has been guided by political violence and war as tools and means of  state policy. The Azerbaijani government has continuously pursued a  policy of radical racism and ethnic cleansings against "the others"  and specifically against Armenians. Another certain characteristic of  state policy by Azerbaijan is the manipulation of its export  potential of oil and gas to Europe as its unique asset. Each of us  can determine whether such policy is fascism, national radicalism or  state terrorism.

Today I would ask you to reflect on three fundamental dimensions.

1.The state policy of siege of 120.000 people, with daily threats of  the use of force against them, is being implemented by a member of  Council of Europe. The unpunished membership of Azerbaijan has  resulted in further strengthening of a certain sense of impunity for  this authoritarian regime and has turned our Organisation into a  legitimising agency of its aggressive policy against Armenian people.

2.Many nations, represented in this Assembly, have recognised the  Armenian Genocide of 1915. The siege of Nagorno Karabakh is the next  stage of that crime, still denied by Turkey and Azerbaijan. This  state policy by Azerbaijan shall be decoupled from any peace process  there may be or will be: collective punishment of an ethnic group is  a war crime, not a negotiation strategy that we shall endorse, and  hence not condemning that clearly means aiding the commission of this  crime, not diplomacy.

3.What is happening in Nagorno Karabakh today is not just a  humanitarian catastrophe.  It's now a bigger issue than just an  Armenian-Azerbaijani affair, or self-determination issue of Nagorno  Karabakh people. This is about a civilisational identity of Europe.  It is now about a choice between, on one hand, democracy, dignity and  peace, and "energy security", shame and violations on the other hand.  History tells us what the price for disgraceful choices is.

Mr President, let me conclude by saying that the Armenians in South  Caucasus be that in Armenia or in Nagorno Karabakh under siege these  days, for many centuries have created conditions for the preservation  and development of not only our own, indigenous national culture and  identity, but also helped many other nations to do so. Despite our  geographic and demographic sizes and ongoing challenges, we will  carry on this mission further whether someone likes it or not," it  was noted in the MP's speech.