Battle at PACE: One anti-Armenian resolution rejected, another passed

Battle at PACE: One anti-Armenian resolution rejected, another passed –

Armenianow – The Council of Europe’s Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) on Tuesday rejected one of the two anti-Armenian draft resolutions that implies that Armenia “occupies” Nagorno-Karabakh, but supported the other one lobbied by Baku that claims that “inhabitants of frontier regions of Azerbaijan are deliberately deprived of water.” 

After heated debate with the participation of Armenian and Azerbaijani members of the PACE, on the first resolution by British parliamentarian Robert Walter entitled “Rise in Violence in Nagorno-Karabakh and Other Occupied Territories of Azerbaijan” the Strasbourg-based body voted 70 to 66, with 40 abstentions to reject it. It then, however, passed the other controversial document drafted by Bosnia & Herzegovina representative Milica Markovic.

Before the vote officials in Yerevan and Stepanakert said the initiatives were counterproductive and accused Azerbaijan of “corrupting” the PACE with its “caviar diplomacy”, including lobbyist efforts aimed at the appearance of similar resolutions.

The United States, France and Russia – as co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group that advances international efforts on brokering a solution to the conflict – also warned last week that passage of the resolutions would complicate the search of negotiated peace in Nagorno-Karabakh.

During the past several years leaders in Nagorno-Karabakh have repeatedly stated that they are ready to have direct discussions with Azerbaijan regarding the use of the area’s water resources, including the Sargsang reservoir. Officials in Baku, however, have not responded to such initiatives.