“David is smart, why isn’t he participating?”
Head of the Azerbaijani delegation to the PACE Samad Seyidov says he would be pleased to see members of the Armenian delegation participate in the session of the PACE Subcommittee on Nagorno-Karabakh. Seyidov says the Armenian delegation's approach is destructive and that the delegations could discuss the issue of the refugees and cultural issues during this session. Seyidov informed that the subcommittee would continue its activities regardless of Armenia's participation. Yesterday the subcommittee members said it would be nice to organize a meeting between the Armenians and Azerbaijani who lived in Karabakh and have them participate in the sessions as well.
In response to the question as to why they are against having Karabakh participate in the process of negotiations of the OSCE Minsk Group, Seyidov said they had always been in favor of seeing representatives of both the Armenian and Azerbaijani communities of Nagorno-Karabakh sit around the table of negotiations.
Nevertheless, Seyidov says steps could have been taken to form mutual confidence between the Armenian and Azerbaijani delegations in the PACE.
"In any case, I hope that my Armenian colleagues will come and participate in the subcommittee's sessions," said Samad Seyidov.
Seyidov says he is surprised to see the Armenian delegation boycotting the subcommittee. "David is very smart and I don't understand what would happen if they participated in the sessions," Samad Seyidov said as he sincerely tried to persuade the Armenian delegation to participate in the sessions. According to him, the subcommittee's sessions can't have an impact on the Minsk Group because the Minsk Group engages the foreign ministers of both countries and the presidents are set to meet in Kazan, but the Armenian side's lack of participation may truly have an impact on the issue. Is the subcommittee likely to adopt a resolution without Armenia's participation? In response, Seyidov told "A1+" to ask the subcommittee president that question.
In response to "A1+"'s question as to whether the Azerbaijani delegation will join the moratorium declared by the Armenian side, Seyidov said:
"Where should we discuss the issue, in the hallways or during a session? Every committee has its issue. We could have discussed that issue and other suggestions in the subcommittee."
Diana Markosyan
Strasbourg
