Armenia might be deprived of PACE mandate

President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) Peter Schieder arranged a news conference following the Bureau meeting on Monday. Avoiding taking a view on the four-year program developed by the newly established coalition in Armenia, stipulating non-return of Upper Qarabag to Azerbaijan under any circumstances, Mr. Schieder said the PACE fall session would hear a report from Rapporteur for Upper Qarabag, British parliamentarian Terry Davis. He also noted that Armenia would be deprived of a PACE mandate at the fall session, as there have been negative opinions on the outcomes of the presidential and parliamentary elections in Armenia. However, head of the Azerbaijani parliamentary delegation to PACE, member of the Bureau, Ilham Aliyev told a local TV on Monday that he was unsure if Mr. Shieder will keep to his promise as the Armenian lobby is strong, pointing out the double standards of PACE towards such issues.