CoE Secretary General reiterates support for Armenian-Azerbaijani peace treaty

Secretary General of the Council of Europe Alain Berset has expressed support for the efforts aimed at signing the Armenia-Azerbaijan peace treaty, stressing that “a step forward” is needed in the process.

He made the remarks during a session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe in response to question by Armenian delegate Armen Gevorgyan, an opposition MP in the Armenian parliament. 

Gevorgyan’s question pertained to the relevance of the CoE membership. Gevorgyan asked Berset, “After almost half a century of membership in the Council of Europe, Georgia is under harsh criticism and sanctions. Armenia is facing damaged territorial integrity and the ethnic cleansing of the Armenian people in Karabakh, and Azerbaijan has completely turned into a state that excludes human rights. What further notable achievements can we expect in the region in the coming years under the continued Council of Europe membership?”

In response, the CoE Secretary General said he is strongly concerned about the situation and future of the whole region.

“And I can feel also in the question that you are raising also some question about the relevance of being a member of the Council of Europe. And the first point I want to mention in this situation, it is to be a member of the Council of Europe is to make the commitment to respect the European Convention on Human Rights. It is to recognise the central role of the European Court of Human Rights and it is to execute all the judgments from the European Court of Human Rights.Only this element, just this element is really of utmost importance. And that's why we are really strongly committed to making sure that this system, even in critical times, in difficult times, even if we are just seeing, like now, backsliding more or less everywhere about the values, when we are seeing divergent forces in action, our role is to be strong with those institutions, to make sure that those elements, those core elements will continue to remain so important," Berset emphasized. 

He said he recently visited the three South Caucasian countries because he is concerned about the situation and future of the region. 

"The next point will be about the South Caucasus region and, as you probably noted, I'm strongly concerned about the situation and future of the whole region. That's why I visited the three countries that you mentioned in your question. I am in close contact with the authorities, with members of the civil society. Visiting the countries, I always clearly also try to visit to see the opposition parties. I also hold meetings here with them, I mean, to understand and to be able to play a role in this highly complex situation. What I want to mention maybe also regarding the situation in the region, it is that we need now to have a step forward about the peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan. I'm trying to support all those efforts to have this peace agreement. I was recently, two weeks ago now, in Yerevan. We had substantial meetings with all counterparts and people that I was able to meet there. And for more than two hours and a half I met with Prime Minister Pashinyan, for example, to really go deep into all those elements and see what we can do. I also had meetings with President Aliyev exactly on the same elements and seeing also the huge difficulty in the region and after the war. And I noted in the last week, I think that we had a visit from President Aliyev in [Turkiye] and the next day a very historic visit from Prime Minister Pashinyan, also in [Turkiye]. And I hope, I mean, we are at the side of the regional countries. We are not able to sign well at the place of the people supposed to do this, but we can support and we can also use our influence to ensure that it will be a positive step in this regard. You mentioned also Georgia. I mean, in Georgia it is known that it is not going in a good direction. I mean, the collaboration also with the Council of Europe. We try to do our best. I will present myself in Tbilisi in December, you know, to remain in close contact, to develop a path together where it is possible to see a positive development. But as you may know, and as we all see, it is quite difficult at the moment. We remain strongly committed to taking some steps forward and can also use the Council of Europe and this place here and decisions that we have as platforms for dialogues. In this context, I need to also mention that I've heard more and more concern also about the participation, you can imagine, at the Council of Europe. Also, in Armenia, the point was raised about the necessity to have the three countries represented here in Strasbourg, because it is possible to help and to support what's happening then in the region and to try to be at the side of the whole region and the countries, to develop positive moves. Maybe what I can say to this, but never forget the main important thing, being a member, it is to commit to the European Convention, to accept the Court and to execute the judgment of the Court. And I know, mentioning now Azerbaijan, that we have a really huge concern, a very important concern with the execution of the judgments of the Court, after the discussion that we had and what we heard in the last weeks. And it must really concern all of us, because it is the whole system for the protection of human rights that it is here being questioned," he said, according to a transcript of his remarks published on the PACE website.