Armen Gevorgyan: The right of return of Karabakh Armenians is not only a matter of justice and human rights but also essential for promoting peace, stability, and reconciliation in the region

The delegation of the National Assembly to PACE takes part in the work of the Second part of the Annual Session of the Assembly going on in Strasbourg. At April 16 meeting the member of the NA delegation to PACE Armen Gevorgyan gave a speech during the debate on the Application by Kosovo for membership to the Council of Europe.

“Mr President:

Europe has traditionally tried to skip drawing parallels between Kosovo and other unrecognised entities that aspired to exercise their right to self-determination – Republic of Artsakh, for example. Such selective approaches to self-determination and its application has become one of the key sources of instability on the continent. Instead of turning into a source for international order and justice, it became a blunt instrument for geopolitical shifts.

Both Kosovo and Nagorno Karabakh in the early 1990s had equally legitimate right to exist – they used to be autonomous entities within socialist republics.

The whole absurdity of the present situation lies in the fact that as part of totalitarian Soviet Union Nagorno Karabakh had autonomous status and self-governance, while in the era of democracy and wider European framework it remained unrecognised, and its indigenous people were ethnically cleansed from their own native lands. Whenever the international community is unable to achieve a legitimate and comprehensive resolution on the right of self-determination, we then inevitably face crimes against humanity.

Meanwhile, selective approaches and double standards deepen the chaos and uncertainty in international relations, stimulate authoritarian trends and downgrade the democratic standards.

Dear Colleagues:

We, Armenians, will need to reset and start many things anew. In the first place, we need to tell the new and future European political elites about the roots of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict and draw parallels with Kosovo case.

The membership of Kosovo in the Council of Europe may give hope to the Karabakh Armenians for some future on their own historic homeland.

If Europe today shows strong will to adopt a new framework for the protection of Kosovo independence, I believe, same Europe should find opportunities to facilitate a collective return of Armenians to their historic homeland in Nagorno Karabakh. The Council of Europe has to join the European parliament in efforts to help them to determine their political future, and to exercise their own democratic self-governance, under firm international security guarantees. I hope that the Council of Europe while strengthening Kosovo’s independence, can also reaffirm its commitment to the protection and preservation of fundamental political rights without a selective approach.

The right of return of Karabakh Armenians is not only a matter of justice and human rights but also essential for promoting peace, stability, and reconciliation in the region. The historic, cultural and religious heritage of Armenian people in Nagorno Karabakh cannot be lost, and this issue shall not be abandoned,” Armen Gevorgyan said.