Doc. 9599
14 October 2002
presented by Mr G. Aliyev, Ms Hajiyeva and others
This motion has not been discussed in the Assembly and commits only the members who have signed it |
Since 1988 the State of Armenia has been waging a war of occupation against neighbouring Azerbaijan with a view to annexing its Nagorno-Karabakh region. This war has inflicted terrible misfortunes to the Azerbaijani people. The armed forces of Armenia have occupied about 20% of the territory of Azerbaijan, including Nagorno-Karabakh and 7 surrounding districts. As a consequence of the armed aggression, more than 20,000 Azeris were killed, more than 20,000 injured, about 50,000 handicapped, 5,000 captured and taken hostage, and nearly one million Azeris forcibly displaced. The war resulted in 877 towns and villages, thousands of industrial and agricultural enterprises, schools, hospitals, historical and cultural monuments being destroyed, burned down or plundered.
The war of occupation continued through a number of legislative acts of the State of Armenia. Thus, on 2 December 1988 the Supreme Council (Parliament) of the Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic passed a resolution on “Unification of the Armenian SSR and Nagorno-Karabakh” (see Vedomosti Verkhovnogo Soveta Armyanskoy SSR, 1989, No. 23, paragraph 144), whereby the commonly recognized part of Azerbaijan was “incorporated” into Armenia. Furthermore, Nagorno-Karabakh was proclaimed as part of the territory of Armenia in a Declaration on State Sovereignty of Armenia adopted on 23 August 1991 (see Vedomosti Verkhovnogo Soveta Armyansloy SSR, 1991, No. 23, paras. 448, 449). The supreme legal authority and importance of that declaration is reaffirmed in the Preamble of the current Constitution of Armenia.
It is to be stressed that up to now, the four UN Security Council Resolutions adopted in relation to the said conflict (Resolutions 822, 853, 874 and 884) (all dated 1993) which explicitly demand that all occupied territories of Azerbaijan be unconditionally released have not been complied with .
Human rights are totally violated in the occupied Azerbaijani lands.
The Assembly, considering the above-mentioned actions of Armenia as a real threat to the peace, security and stability in Europe consider that the invasion of the armed forces of Armenia into the territory of Azerbaijan, and the occupation of the Nagorno-Karabakh region of the Republic of Azerbaijan as well as 7 districts adjacent to that region must be qualified as an act of aggression and demand that Armenia immediately and unconditionally release all occupied territories of the Republic of Azerbaijan.
The Assembly recommend that the Committee of Ministers launch a monitoring procedure and consider the possibility of imposing sanctions on the State of Armenia pursuant to the Charter of the Council of Europe.
Aliyev G, Azerbaijan, EDG
Hajiyeva, Azerbaijan, EPP
Abbasov, Azerbaijan, EDG
Akgönenç, Turkey, EDG
Aliyev I, Azerbaijan, EDG
Arzilli, San Marino, EPP
Clerfayt, Belgium, LDR
Glesenev, Luxembourg, EPP
Gligoroski, “the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia”, EPP
Goulet, France, EDG
Gülek, Turkey, SOC
Huseynov A, Azerbaijan, EDG
Huseynov R, Azerbaijan, LDR
Ibrahimov, Azerbaijan, LDR
Juri, Slovenia, SOC
Kalkan, Turkey EDG
Landsbergis, Lithuania, EPP
Mintas-Hodak, Croatia,
Sağlam, Turkey, EPP
Seyidov, Azerbaijan, EDG
Shakhtakhtinskaya, Azerbaijan, EDG
Skarbøvik, Norway, EPP
Škrabalo, Croatia, LDR
Vakilov, Azerbaijan, EDG
EPP: Group of the European People’s Party
EDG: European Democratic Group
LDR : Liberal, Democratic and Reformers’ Group
UEL: Group of the Unified European Left
NR: not registered in a group