Z. Postanjyan: “The document can serve as road map for Karabakh”
Heritage Party MP Zaruhy Postanjyan called on the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe to demonstrate a similar attitude towards the Mountainous Karabakh Republic as it demonstrates towards Kosovo.
During the discussion of resolution "Situation in Kosovo and the Role of the Council of Europe" Mrs. Postanjyan urged the international community to stop applying double standards.
"I want to express my appreciation for the work accomplished by the rapporteur in the drafting of this document and to underline the praiseworthy approach of focusing the Assembly's attention as regards Kosovo not on status, but on standards. That very important principle is contained in paragraph 4 of the draft resolution, which states "The Parliamentary Assembly is convinced that, in the present circumstances, the focus of its attention as regards Kosovo should not be on status but on standards. In particular, it believes that, irrespective of its status, Kosovo should be a safe place for all those who live in it and a place where standards of democracy, the rule of law and human rights of an equivalent level to that upheld by the Council of Europe are fully enforced."
I hope that in the near future that principle will be adopted in relation to another state bordering those of the Council of Europe: the Mountainous Karabakh - Artsakh - Republic. It was created before the collapse of the Soviet Union, during the Soviet-Azeri aggression, in accordance with all the required criteria of statehood declaration - the Montevideo convention and customary international law - and in accordance with the Soviet laws in force in 1991.
In addition, the draft recommendation states that the Council of Europe "should aim at raising standards in the field of democracy, human rights and the rule of law, so that people in Kosovo can enjoy an equivalent level of rights as that upheld by the Council of Europe, irrespective of the status of Kosovo." That approach should also be applied to the Mountainous Karabakh Republic, and the international community must stop applying double standards. The Council of Europe should set a clear goal for not only Kosovo, but the Mountainous Karabakh Republic, and this document can serve as an approximate road map for the Mountainous Karabakh Republic.
The main achievement for people who live in Kosovo and the Mountainous Karabakh Republic should be the feeling of belonging to a democratic country. I should point out that the document states that there is no confidence in the political system and the prospects for economic development in Kosovo, whereas I can say for sure that there is confidence in the political system of the Mountainous Karabakh Republic. That is proved by the holding of the recent parliamentary elections there, which earned the praise of the observers, including those from western countries. The outgoing President of the Mountainous Karabakh Republic's National Assembly invited the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe to monitor the elections, on the basis of its mandate, but unfortunately the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe refused to accept the invitation.
Despite the non-recognition by the international community of its nearly 20-year record of independence, pluralistic and democratic presidential, parliamentary and local elections have been held in Artsakh on a regular basis. The country's constitution was adopted by a referendum held in 2006 and the Mountainous Karabakh Republic has consistently pursued a policy based on the preservation of regional peace, and on respect for, and protection of, human rights. The entire national and social legal system of Artsakh conforms with the European Convention on Human Rights. I call on the Assembly to demonstrate a similar attitude towards the Mountainous Karabakh Republic as it demonstrates towards Kosovo," Zaruhy Postanjyan said in her speech.
