21st session of OSCE PA continues work in Armenia`s capital 

ArmInfo.The 21st session of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly continues its work in Yerevan. 

The November 19 meeting discussed the protection of human rights in   conflict zones.  

Daniela De Ridder, Vice-President of the OSCE PA, emphasized the need  to comply with international humanitarian law, as provided for in the  Vancouver Declaration. The speaker touched upon the protection of  minority rights, the humanitarian consequences of conflicts, and  cases of escalation. In this context, she pointed to the forced  resettlement of Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh and added that the  Armenian authorities are taking all possible steps, but it is  necessary to provide assistance to refugees in solving their  problems. The Vice-President of the OSCE PA expressed the opinion  that joint steps and political will can give a positive result.

Former U.N. Special Rapporteur on minority issues Fernand de Varennes  spoke about overcoming crises, humanitarian problems in conflict  zones, and the causes of conflicts. Millions of people in the world  cannot realize their rights, and the reason for this is often that  they are a minority, he said. According to the speaker, conflict  prevention and the protection of minority rights should be at the  core of the actions of every CSTO member. Also cases of xenophobia  and intolerance were mentioned, which often have serious  consequences.

Yeghisheh Kirakosyan, Armenia's Representative for International  Legal Affairs, emphasized the importance of discussing issues at such  a platform. He presented the problems that Armenia has been suffering  from in recent years, detailing the catastrophic consequences of the  large-scale war in Azerbaijan. 

"When Azerbaijan launched an aggressive war against Nagorno-Karabakh  and Armenia, we were faced with the sad realities of human suffering,  torture, inhumane treatment and murder, missing prisoners of war and  civilians, the rights of tens of thousands of people deprived of  their homes," he emphasized.  Kirakosyan added that more than a month  ago, everyone witnessed the massive resettlement of Armenians from  Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia. According to him, the realities that  Armenia has faced over the past three years have prompted the country  to actively apply international legal mechanisms. In this context,  the RA representative noted, that Armenia appealed to the European  Court of Human Rights against Azerbaijan, submitting relevant claims.

"We have a lot of conflicts that are breaking out in different parts  of the world, and frozen conflicts are exploding on the European  continent and elsewhere, and this worries us very much. This puts the  international legal order to the test to see what the international  legal order can do to resolve these conflicts," Kirakosyan  emphasized. He also mentioned the inadmissibility of inciting hatred  on social networks, which also has disastrous consequences. The RA  representative also spoke about the illegal blockade of the Lachin  corridor and the resulting humanitarian crisis, which led to ethnic  cleansing.

In their speeches, the OSCE PA delegates spoke about the importance  of observing international humanitarian law, preventing genocides,  the events taking place in Gaza, eliminating manifestations of hatred  towards minorities and the need to fight together on this issue. The  representative of Belgium emphasized the importance of visiting  conflict zones and understanding the situation on the ground.

The delegates touched upon the Russian-Ukrainian, Israeli-Palestinian  conflicts, and military operations in Nagorno-Karabakh. The opinion  was expressed that there can be no peace without justice, and the  importance of equal protection of the rights of all civilians was  emphasized. The delegates rejected the policy of double standards. In  the process of regulating relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan,  respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of states was  emphasized.

Honorary President of the OSCE PA Margareta Cederfelt, from the  Swedish delegation noted that genocides are part of history, but  there are people who still reject them. The delegate spoke about  manifestations of racism and anti-Semitism, religious violence, which  humanity is still witnessing. In this context, she considered denial  of genocide unacceptable, emphasizing that parliamentarians must  contribute to this issue.

Mark Demesmaeker, Deputy Head of the Belgium delegation to the OSCE  PA, and Head of the Belgium- Armenia friendship group, spoke about  the policy of ethnic cleansing in Nagorno-Karabakh and noted that he  was going to visit a refugee center to meet on the spot and listen to  their problems. "We need to support Armenia to overcome this  situation," the MEP emphasized.

Member of the Armenian delegation to the OSCE PA, representative of  the Armenia faction, RA Parliament, Lilit Galstyan reminded her  colleagues that all of Yerevan's appeals to the international  community were unsuccessful and it was not possible to prevent the  catastrophe in Nagorno-Karabakh. She touched upon the issue of  Armenian prisoners illegally held in Azerbaijan. Recalling the  anti-Armenian policy of Azerbaijan, Galstyan noted that Baku calls  Armenia "Western Azerbaijan".

"The best way to protect human rights is democracy, the best  environment is peace," said member of the RA NA delegation to the  OSCE PA, secretary of the "Civil Contract" faction Arthur  Hovhannisyan, and spoke about the problems of Armenians forced  refugees from Nagorno-Karabakh. He recalled that according to  resolutions, statements and even decisions of the international  court, they should have lived in their homeland and not become  refugees.

In their speeches, OSCE PA delegates spoke about the problems of  protecting the rights of children and women in conflict zones. The  view was expressed that the protection of minority rights is a  problem not only of states, but also of the international community,  and for the real protection of people's rights, not only resolutions,  but also active steps are needed. The need to protect and secure the  rights of Armenians in the region and fulfillment of promises related  to the reintegration of Armenians into Azerbaijani society was  emphasized.

In his concluding remarks, the head of the RA NA delegation to the  OSCE PA, Sarkis Khandanyan, expressed confidence that over the past  two days important discussions have taken place regarding internal  and external threats, as well as the deterioration of the security  situation in the OSCE region.

"Every time we gather on this parliamentary platform, we ultimately  express the hope that the next time we meet again, we will find  ourselves in a better position, in a more stable and peaceful OSCE  region.  However, it seems that hopes are not enough, expressing a  reaction to what happened is not enough, we need to take more  decisive actions to win this battle," Khandanyan said. Concluding his  speech, the head of the Armenian delegation expressed gratitude to  the people who made this meeting possible.

Roberto Montella, OSCE PA Secretary General, and Pia Kauma, OSCE PA  President, thanked the Armenian side for the effective organization  of the session at a high level. Pia Kauma expressed confidence that  the discussions of the last two days showed that the work of the  structure is moving in the right direction. She emphasized the need  to establish peace throughout the world and noted that the mission of  the assembly is to work in this direction.