Bureau meeting of the Euronest PA will take place in Strasbourg on February 11, 2015. The meeting will discuss the draft agenda of the 4^th plenary session, among other issues. The 4^th plenary session of the Euronest PA will be held in Yerevan between 16^th and 18^th March of 2015, and this decision was adopted by Bureau in 2014.

It should be noted that the Azerbaijani delegation repeatedly and resolutely expressed its objection against holding the Euronest PA sessions, Bureau and Committees’ meetings in Armenia, as well as against co-chairmanship of Armenia to the Euronest PA, during Bureau meetings between 2011 and 2014. The Azerbaijani delegation highlighted in its statements that it is inadmissible to hold the Euronest PA sessions, Bureau and Committees’ meetings in Armenia and to allow Armenia to co-chair the Euronest PA until Nagorno Karabakh and 7 surrounding provinces are liberated, threat for frontier provinces of Azerbaijan with 400 thousand population is fully eliminated as a result of the occupation of Sarsang reservoir for over 23 years, blockade of Nakhchivan is ended.

Furthermore, the Azerbaijani delegation unambiguously stated that it won’t attend plenary sessions and meetings of the institution to be held in Armenia. Therefore, the decision on holding the plenary session of the Euronest PA in Yerevan was adopted despite resolute objections of Azerbaijani delegation.

The point of attention is that the 4^th session of the Euronest PA in Yerevan will coincide with 100^th anniversary of so-called Armenian genocide. Undoubtedly, the Armenian side will use this international event as a means of propagation of so-called Armenian genocide.

I’d like particularly underline that despite the fact that Armenia signed a Customs Union agreement and joined the the Eurasian Economic Union, the Euronest PA neither expressed its attitude towards this fact nor discussed this situation. On the contrary, the fact that the plenary session of the Euronest PA will be held in this country in such situation proves the approval of Armenia’s political decisions to join the above-mentioned institutions. And this means that Armenia will achieve the adoption of any decision in favor of its own interests during Yerevan session of the Euronest PA. On the other hand, Yerevan session provides the Armenian side with additional opportunities for propaganda of 100^th anniversary of so-called Armenian genocide.

We witnessed double standards policy regarding Azerbaijan for several times within the Euronest PA, as it was the case in other international organizations. Despite our multiple efforts, it was impossible so far to discuss the fact of the occupation of 20% of Azerbaijani territories by Armenia for over 23 years in Committees’ meetings and plenary sessions of Euronest PA. We always faced a statement that Euronest PA is not an institution able to solve the issue of Nagorno-Karabakh and other occupied territories.

It’s clear that on the background of the annexation of Crimea to Russia and armed confrontations in the south-east of Ukraine, a number of leading world states and international organizations, as well as the European Union, demonstrate high-level support to Ukraine. Nevertheless, despite the fact that we claimed the adoption of documents regarding sanctions against aggressor Armenia by demanding the same level of support to Azerbaijan, territories of which have been occupied for long, our efforts were definitely blocked by different means.

 Thus, as other international organizations, the Euronest PA, a parliamentary institution of the European Union within the framework of Eastern Partnership program, keeps Armenia under its umbrella and attempts to insure Armenia from any sanctions and responsibility for its aggressive criminal actions against Azerbaijan.

 At the same time, Euronest PA confirms itself to be a propogation facility in promoting these stupid claims among the world community by holding its 4^th session in Yerevan on the eve of 100^th anniversary of so-called Armenian genocide.

Interestingly, this institution, which actually supports so-called Armenian genocide, doesn’t take into account that Armenians, who are going to celebrate 100^th anniversary of so-called claims, have been committing genocide crimes against the Azerbaijani people since 1905 and that genocide crimes of Armenians against Azerbaijani people continues for already 110 years.

Finally, I’d like to stress once again that Azerbaijani delegation insists on its position, and we won’t attend the plenary session to be held in Yerevan.

Elkhan Suleymanov,

Chairman of Azerbaijani Delegation to the Euronest PA