The consultations with the leaders of Armenian and Azerbaijani delegations in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) on setting up a subcommittee on Nagorno-Karabakh will be underway until a consensus is reached on the matter, PACE President Mevlut Cavusoglu stated at a press conference in Yerevan.

According to him, PACE’s stance on Karabakh issue is clear, reflected in several resolutions. In Resolution 1416 PACE says both Armenia and Azerbaijan pledged to find a peaceful solution to while joining the CE and denounces all manifestations of hatred by the two countries’ mass media. PACE requested its Bureau to establish a select committee on Nagorno-Karabakh. This is the reason for Cavusoglu’s strong desire for the subcommittee being re-established. According to the PACE President, if re-formed, the subcommittee will not duplicate the OSCE Minsk Group.

Asked about his favoring Azerbaijan, Cavusoglu said that he strongly objects to double standards in PACE. According to him, all the 47 member states are equal and equal approaches are used. He gave assurances that he is impartially raising Azerbaijani urgent problems, including the ones of political prisoners, detained journalists and bloggers, expressing hope that all the problems will find positive solutions. Azerbaijan will shortly mark the 10th anniversary of its membership in CE and the best way to commemorate the date is holding free and fair parliamentary elections, the PACE President stressed.

L.A.