Armenian National Committee of Canada
3401 Olivar -Asselin
Montreal, QC.
H4J 1L5
Tel. (514) 334-1299 Fax (514) 443-6853
PRESS RELEASE
July 2, 2005
Contact: Shant Karajian (514) 334-1299
Roupen Kouyoumjian (514) 336-7095
Aris Babikian (416) 317-8972
ANC Efforts Pay Off
OSCE Parliamentary Assembly Rejects Azeri Resolution on Nagorno Karabagh
WASHINGTON, DC – The Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security
and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE PA), meeting last night in Washington, DC,
voted overwhelmingly to defeat a controversial
measure on Nagorno Karabagh authored by Azerbaijani Parliamentarian Sattar
Safarov.
The vote took place during a meeting of the OSCE PA’s Heads of Delegation,
as part of the opening session of the four-day meeting for members of
Parliament from the 55 member states of the OSCE. The Safarov resolution,
which was widely viewed as a biased and divisive measure, received only
token support, with nearly all the Heads of Delegation voting, by a show of
hands, to keep the measure off of the OSCE PA agenda.
The Canadian delegation participating in the Washington meeting included
Sen. C. Di Nino (head of the delegation), Senator J. Grafstein, Senator E.
Hubley and House of Commons members Hon. D. Bouderia.
D. Johnston, F. Lalonde, and G. Lunn.
In the weeks preceding the OSCE PA Washington meeting, the Armenian National
Committee of Canada (ANCC) representatives met with the Canadian delegation
members and provided information on Nagorno Karabagh. It also presented a
position paper to all delegates and the OSCE PA Canadian clerk.
The Armenian delegation is being headed by Vahan Hovhannisian, the Deputy
Speaker of Armenia’s Parliament. Other members of the delegation are
Artashes Geghamyan, MP and Samvel Nikoyan, MP. The
Armenian National Committees through North America and Europe worked closely
with the Armenian delegation, in sharing with OSCE PA members the dangers of
the Safarov resolution.
“We would like to thank the Canadian delegation and to express our
appreciation to all those who voted against the Safarov resolution for their
responsible stewardship of the OSCE’s efforts to facilitate a negotiated
settlement to the Nagorno Karabagh conflict,” said Dr. Griar Basmadjian,
President of ANCC. He also added that a resolution trough peaceful means is
the only feasible and long term solution to the conflict.
The defeat of the Safarov resolution set the stage for the standard
consideration by the Assembly of the Nagorno Karabagh conflict. This
discussion is being led by Swedish Member of Parliament Goran Lennmarker,
who has served since June of 2002 as the OSCE PA special representative on
this issue. In preparation for the OSCE PA meeting, Lennmarker presented a
report, entitled “A Golden Opportunity: Some Ideas on Nagorno Karabakh
Conflict,” to the Heads of Delegations to the OSCE PA.
In this report, Lennmarker stressed that there is now a golden opportunity,
through the OSCE Minsk Peace-process, for a peaceful solution of the Nagorno
Karabakh conflict, based on a “win-win” concept where both Armenia and
Azerbaijan come out better. In his remarks, Lennmarker noted that “the
conflict is not frozen,” adding that “there is no alternative to a peaceful
solution – in fact there is an urgent need to solve the conflict in order to
end the personal, economic, and social suffering on both sides of this
conflict.” He proposed basing a solution on experiences from Europe, where
democracy and integration are fundamental components in securing a lasting
peace, and added that strong European and international institutions stand
ready to support Armenia and Azerbaijan.
The OSCE PA is the parliamentary dimension of the Organization for Security
and Co-operation in Europe, whose 55 participating States span the
geographical area from Vancouver to Vladivostok. The primary task of the
317-member Assembly is to facilitate inter-parliamentary dialogue, an
important aspect of the overall effort to meet the challenges of democracy
throughout the OSCE area. Recognized as a regional arrangement under Chapter
VIII of the United Nations Charter, the OSCE is a primary instrument for
early warning, conflict prevention, crisis management and post-conflict
rehabilitation in its area. The Parliamentary Assembly, originally
established by the 1990 Paris Summit to promote greater involvement in the
OSCE by national parliaments, has grown into a very active and esteemed
member of the OSCE family.
-30-