PACE resolution aims to address neutral issues, leaving out legal issues

We consider the PACE and the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe as formats that can contribute to the positive development of the issue of the return of prisoners, but they are also political platforms for us with their own positive and negative sides, Siranush Sahakyan, a human rights activist representing the interests of Armenian prisoners of war in Azerbaijan, said at a press conference, referring to the PACE resolution on the humanitarian consequences of the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict.

“The main positive side is that they provided a quick response, and the main negative side is that they do not provide objective coverage of the issue, because here law and politics collide, the interests of big politics are largely preserved in those big conflicts. The title of the report purposefully mentions “humanitarian issues”. Initially, the goal was to address more neutral issues, such as humanitarian issues, and more serious legal issues were left out of the discussion,” Sahakyan said.

She also considered it vital that there was Turkish involvement in the conflict in various areas: mercenaries, air force management, but the report was not titled Conflict between Turkey and Armenia.

“Given that these processes have been carried out by a political body, we are well aware that the political considerations are reflected in this report,” Sahakyan said. She said the adopted document is a resolution secured by political force, as long as the Council of Europe uses its political power to put pressure on states, the provisions of the resolution can be implemented, and it can affect the speedy work of the ECHR.