CoE rapporteurs in Baku, Yerevan and Nagorno-Karabakh
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Date: Thu, 18 Jun 1998 10:54:47 +0300 (EET DST)
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Subject: CoE rapporteurs in Baku, Yerevan and Nagorno-Karabakh
From: MINELRES moderator <[email protected]>
Original sender: Felix Corley <[email protected]>
CoE rapporteurs in Baku, Yerevan and Nagorno-Karabakh
Council of Europe
Parliamentary Assembly rapporteurs in Baku, Yerevan and
Nagorno-Karabakh
STRASBOURG, 12.06.98: Jacques BAUMEL (France, GDE) and Georges
CLERFAYT (Belgium, LDR), rapporteurs on Azerbaijan for the Political
Affairs Committee and the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights
respectively and Eisso WOLTJER (Netherlands, soc), rapporteur on
Armenia for the Political Affairs Committee, are to visit Baku,
Yerevan and Nagorno-Karabakh from 14 to 19 June to inquire about the
situation in Nagorno-Karabakh and assess the willingness of all the
parties concerned to reach a political settlement to the conflict.
In Baku, on Sunday 14, Monday 15 and Tuesday 16 June, the rapporteurs
will meet, among others, Heydar ALIYEV, President of the Republic of
Azerbaijan, Safar ABIYEV, Minister of Defence, and Tofik ZULFUGAROV,
Minister of Foreign Affairs, as well as Murtuz ALESKEROV, President of
the National Assembly, members of the International Affairs Committee
and members of the government and the opposition. They will visit one
of the regions of Azerbaijan where the refugee camps are located and
will meet representatives of the UNHCR and the International Committee
of the Red Cross.
In Stepanakert, on Wednesday 17 and Thursday 18 June, they will meet
senior officials from Nagorno-Karabakh, representatives of
non-political circles and refugees.
In Yerevan, on Friday 19 June, they will hold talks with Robert
KOTCHARIAN, President of the Republic of Armenia, Vazguen SARKISSIAN,
Minister of Defence, and Vartan OSKANIAN, Minister of Foreign Affairs,
as well as with Khosrof HAROUTOUNIAN, President of the National
Assembly, members of the Foreign Affairs Committee and members of the
government and the opposition.
This visit is being conducted as part of the procedure governing
Armenia 's and Azerbaijan's accession to the Council of Europe. In
seeking the opinion of the Parliamentary Assembly, the Council of
Europe's Committee of Ministers stated that a significant
rapprochement between the Caucasian countries and the Council of
Europe would require not only the implementation of major democratic
reforms but also a commitment by these countries to resolve their
conflicts by peaceful means.
Armenia obtained special guest status in the Parliamentary Assembly in
January 1996, followed by Azerbaijan in June 1996. The two countries
applied for membership of the Council of Europe in March 1996 and July
1996 respectively. Since then, several visits have been made to the
area by parliamentarians from various Parliamentary Assembly
committees and by the rapporteurs.
Press contact:
in Strasbourg:
Sabine ZIMMER, Council of Europe Press Service
Tel. +33/(0)3.88.41.25.97 ; Fax (0)3.88.41.27.89 or 90
Local contacts:
Peter SICH in Baku at the Hotel Respublica
tel.: 00 994 12 925 475, fax: 00 994 12 930 348
in Yerevan at the Hotel Armenia 2
tel: 00 37 42 525 396, fax: 00 37 42 151 803
A political organisation set up in 1949, the Council of Europe
promotes democracy and human rights continent-wide. It also develops
common responses to social, cultural and legal challenges in its 40
member states.
--
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