 | Genocide of azeris talking point in COE |
Azeri delegation attending the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PA CE) has succeeded in handing out a declaration on the genocide of Azerbaijanis by Armenians in the Assembly. By Elmira Vezirova Azernews Staff Writer
This is the first time in the history of Azerbaijan when an official declaration on the genocide of Azerbaijanis has been disseminated in Europe’s most authoritative international organization.
The declaration, entitled "Recognition of the genocide of Azerbaijanis by Armenians", has been signed by the PA CE secretary general and will be handed out to all 600 assembly members.
It says: "Since the time of division of Azeri lands on the basis of the 1813 Gulustan and 1828 Turkmenchay treaties, genocide has been an inseparable part of the Azerbaijan history. Armenians perpetrated massacres of Azeris in 1905-1907 and in March 1918. Later on, in the Soviet times, Armenia captured Zangazur and other Azeri territories in 1920 and carried out "ethnic cleansing" there. In 1948-1953, the communist regime deported Azeris from their native lands on the territory of Armenia. Since the beginning of the Garabagh conflict, hundreds thousands of Azeris were ousted from their historical lands. In February 1992, Armenians obliterated the peaceful population of the Khojali town of Garabagh from the surface of earth. Armenian separatism in Upper Garabagh and the occupation of 20% of Azerbaijan's territory caused heavy human loss, while more than a million people have become refugees in their native country."
The document was signed by 29 members of the PA CE from 9 countries (Turkey, Germany, Great Britain, Albania, Luxembourg, Poland, Bulgaria, Macedonia, and Norway).
Before any document can be distributed in the Assembly, it is required to be signed by at least 20 parliamentarians from 3 member countries.
The issue is now likely to be brought up in PA CE committees and, if approved by at least one of them, the issue of recognition of the genocide will be put on the Assembly agenda.
The Azeri delegation has also forwarded a report on 783 Azeri POWs and hostages, including 18 children and 56 old people, to the Assembly.
The Azeri delegation was led by MP Ilham Aliyev.
In his remarks at the session, Ilham Aliyev spoke about the Upper Garabagh problem, saying that this seized part of Azerbaijan is being used as drug trafficking transit and center of illegal weaponry and training of armed formations.
The Azeri delegation then forwarded to the session the list of Prisoners of War kept in Armenia and Upper Garabagh.
I. Aliyev also held meetings with the honorary president of the PA CE Mrs. Lenny Fischer and head of the Russian parliamentary delegation Mr. Rogozin and was interviewed by Turkish NTV channel.
In a news briefing in Baku upon arrival, Azeri MPs described as "successful" the steps they had taken, as for the first time in the history of Azerbaijan the document on the genocide of Azerbaijanis was officially distributed in the Parliamentary Assembly. It was signed by 29 representatives from 9 countries, including the chairman of the PA CE political committee.
The MPs spoke highly of the work carried out by the head of the delegation Ilham Aliyev.
A member of the group, representing the Civil Solidarity Party (CSP) Rafael Husseinov emphasized the unity of the group, which included members of the PFPA, Yeni Azerbaijan and his party. He indicated that statements by Azeri parliamentarians had caused a stir not only among Armenian members of the Assembly, but also in Armenia proper.
The event is particularly significant in light of Armenia's endeavors to achieve the recognition of the so-called Armenian genocide of 1915, something it has failed to do.
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Issue: May, 2, 2001
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