Chairman of the Swedish Delegation to PACE and co-rapporteur on Armenian issues Göran Lindblad has sent a letter to head of the Armenian delegation in PACE David Harutyunyan, as well Secretary General of PACE. Mateo Sorinas.
“It seems extremely strange to me that a country which considers itself to be democratic is unable to find time to organize high level meetings with the co-rapporteurs of the Monitoring committee within the framework of the CoE forum “For democratic future”. I think this proves my suggestion according to which Armenia has not yet matured for conduction of such a forum.
The visit of the co-rapporteurs was permitted by the monitoring committee from June 22 but later postponed first due to the summer vacations, then with the motivation that it is too early to organize it in the first half of September.
There was seemingly an agreement to organize the visit before the forum, on October 17-18, but this date was declined by the speaker of the Armenian parliament.
As far as I know, the monitoring visits are usually postponed only after elections to allow the new governments fulfill promises. But this is not Armenia’s case.
I think the Armenian authorities are trying to protract the visit because of me, because of my commitments, related to democratic values, human rights and equality, since if I am not a co-rapporteur, the assembly will have an opportunity to appoint a new, less independent co-rapporteur.
I have no personal problems, but hampering the monitoring process means humiliating the Parliamentary Assembly and basic values of the Council of Europe which Armenia committed to protect. To be responsible means to make everything possible for the visit of the co-chairs with the fact-finding mission to become possible.
Thus, I ask you to review my intention of the co-rapporteur to meet the due authorities in a day before the forum or after it”.
The CoE forum “For democracy” will be held in Yerevan on October 19-21.
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