Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Dunja Mijatovic on April 20 sent a letter to President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev in which she touched upon the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and its consequences.
As reported Turan, Mijatovic particularly wrote that overcoming the past must become a priority to secure the path to reconciliation and strong peace and that it is extremely important to ensure the constant, free and unconstrained entry of international humanitarian and human rights organizations into the places where the affected population lives. The CoE Commissioner for Human Rights expressed her concerns over the opening of the “park”. “I consider such images highly disturbing and humiliating”, said the Commissioner. “This kind of display can only further intensify and strengthen long-standing hostile sentiments and hate speech, and multiply and promote manifestations of intolerance,” she wrote.
She also called on the Azerbaijani President to take a firm stance against any rhetoric or actiofns which lead to triggering animosity or hatred and instead, provide his full support and political backing towards efforts aimed at promoting peace and reconciliation between the populations affected by the conflict, particularly bearing in mind the wellbeing of the future generations of Azerbaijan and Armenia.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan responded to the letter, not Ilham Aliyev. In its response letter, the Azerbaijani MFA expressed regret that the CoE Commissioner failed to respond to the Armenian missile attacks on peaceful cities of Azerbaijan and the deaths of dozens of people during the war. The MFA added that the CoE isn’t responding to Armenia’s refusal to present maps of minefields and that reconciliation requires adequate attitude towards the crimes of the past and victims, including holding the guilty liable and compensating damages.
"Commissioner's "regret" over the inauguration of the Military Trophy Park in Baku is equally unsubstantiated. The Trophy Park symbolizes the triumph of international law and justice over the decades-long policy of aggression and ethnic cleansing. Immortalizing victory in the war for freedom, sovereignty, and territorial integrity is a practice widely applied by many nations, including across the Council of Europe region. The Park, like its analogies in other corners of the world, will serve as a stark reminder that racism, discrimination, and intolerance have no chance to succeed. This is a place for education for the present and future generations on the dangers of a policy of aggression and intolerance and provides the venue for seeking the truth. "Dehumanizing scenes" or "disturbing and humiliating images" need to be looked for in other places across the Council of Europe area, where nations glorify their colonial past and demonstrate evidence of horrific crimes against the colonized peoples.”
“In conclusion, it should be emphasized that the letter of 20 April 2021 casts doubt on the independence and impartiality of the Commissioner's work, and it might adversely impact the relations between the Commissioner's office and Azerbaijan,” the MFA wrote in conclusion.
“Moreover, the very fact of the letter being very far from an impartial appeal clearly runs against the stated noble goal of "promoting peace and reconciliation". On the contrary, it emboldens revanchist circles risking the fragile process of establishing good-neighborly relations in the region. Azerbaijan strongly urges the Commissioner to remain impartial as requested by her mandate and refrain from actions and statements that negatively affect the authority and reputation of the Council of Europe,” the MFA added.
