MP: We cannot demand actions from PACE that go beyond   its mandate

ArmInfo. The choice of date for the meeting of the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe in Yerevan by the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights was not random, as stated by Vladimir Vardanyan, Chairman of the Committee on State and Legal Affairs of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia, to journalists.

According to him, December 9th is the day the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide was adopted, and December 10th is Human Rights Day.  Vardanyan noted that in the course of the year, the relevant PACE committees have the chance to organize a meeting in places outside of Paris and Strasbourg. This year, the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia, was granted the privilege of hosting a meeting for the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights.

In response to the question about prisoners of war detained in Azerbaijan, the Armenian delegate noted that PACE committee meetings, unlike plenary sessions, are conducted in a closed format. It's about prepared reports that are discussed in committees and must be approved at plenary sessions. The issues brought up are also addressed in various reports and adopted by PACE.  "As for prisoners of war specifically, it seems that PACE has taken all necessary actions in their regard, as the resolutions adopted by the Assembly clearly tackle the issue of prisoners of war by calling for their immediate return. In other words, we cannot surpass the efforts of PACE, as all matters concerning the prisoners of war have been raised and resolved in the resolutions," the representative of the Armenian delegation to PACE said.

He also recalled that the Azerbaijani delegation's powers at PACE have been suspended, so they are not participating in the Assembly's meetings.  Vladimir Vardanyan pointed out that the committee's meeting today is focused on discussing legal and humanitarian impact of Azerbaijan's military operation in Nagorno-Karabakh. "However, in our opinion, demanding actions from PACE that go beyond its mandate or cannot be implemented will also be ineffective," the parliamentarian added.