Member of Armenian delegation to PACE: historic, cultural and  religious heritage of Armenian people in Nagorno Karabakh cannot be  lost, and this issue shall not be abandoned

ArmInfo.The delegation of the National Assembly to PACE takes part in the work of the Second part  of the Annual Session of the Assembly going on in Strasbourg, the press service of the RA NA reports.  At April 16 meeting the member of the NA delegation to PACE Armen Gevorgyan gave a speech during the  debate on the Application by Kosovo for membership to the Council of Europe.

"Mr President:

Europe has traditionally tried to skip drawing parallels between  Kosovo and other unrecognised entities that aspired to exercise their  right to self-determination - Republic of Artsakh, for example. Such  selective approaches to self-determination and its application has  become one of the key sources of instability on the continent.  Instead of turning into a source for international order and justice,  it became a blunt instrument for geopolitical shifts.

Both Kosovo and Nagorno Karabakh in the early 1990s had equally  legitimate right to exist - they used to be autonomous entities  within socialist republics.

The whole absurdity of the present situation lies in the fact that as  part of totalitarian Soviet Union Nagorno Karabakh had autonomous  status and self-governance, while in the era of democracy and wider  European framework it remained unrecognised, and its indigenous  people were ethnically cleansed from their own native lands. Whenever  the international community is unable to achieve a legitimate and  comprehensive resolution on the right of self-determination, we then  inevitably face crimes against humanity.  Meanwhile, selective  approaches and double standards deepen the chaos and uncertainty in  international relations, stimulate authoritarian trends and downgrade  the democratic standards.

Dear Colleagues:

We, Armenians, will need to reset and start many things anew. In the  first place, we need to tell the new and future European political  elites about the roots of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict and draw  parallels with Kosovo case.

The membership of Kosovo in the Council of Europe may give hope to  the Karabakh Armenians for some future on their own historic  homeland.

If Europe today shows strong will to adopt a new framework for the  protection of Kosovo independence, I believe, same Europe should find  opportunities to facilitate a collective return of Armenians to their  historic homeland in Nagorno Karabakh. The Council of Europe has to  join the European parliament in efforts to help them to determine  their political future, and to exercise their own democratic  self-governance, under firm international security guarantees. I hope  that the Council of Europe while strengthening Kosovo's independence,  can also reaffirm its commitment to the protection and preservation  of fundamental political rights without a selective approach.

The right of return of Karabakh Armenians is not only a matter of  justice and human rights but also essential for promoting peace,  stability, and reconciliation in the region.  The historic, cultural  and religious heritage of Armenian people in Nagorno Karabakh cannot  be lost, and this issue shall not be abandoned," Armen Gevorgyan  said.