At the PACE Monitoring Committee’s sitting in Paris, PACE Rapporteur on Armenia John Prestcott unexpectedly raised the issue of Armenia and made rather strongly-worded statements, writes the Haykakan Zhamanak newspaper.

Armen Rustamyan, a member of the Armenian delegation to PACE, told the newspaper that Prestcott expressed his concern over the implementation of commitments by Armenia. He pointed out that the situation is not so good. The PACE Rapporteur particularly spoke of the release of political prisoners and of the March 1 events. He stressed that the issues will be highlighted during his visit to Armenia scheduled for early next year. Prestcott expressed hope the Armenian authorities will honor their commitments.

“The British Rapporteur’s speech can be considered a warning to the Armenian authorities. Otherwise, the European agency will apply sanctions,” the newspaper writes.