‘IT IS MY DECISION’ TO DISRESPECT GENOCIDE VICTIMS, SAYS CAVUSOGLU
Asbarez
Thursday, May 13th, 2010
YEREVAN
(Combined Sources)-Visiting president of the Parliamentary Assembly
of the Council of Europe, Mevlut Cavusoglu told reporters Thursday
that it was his own decision to not visit Dzidzernagapert and, as a
result, disrespect the 1.5 million victims of the Armenian Genocide.
"The PACE rules do not contain a provision obligating each PACE
President to follow a host country’s protocols," said Cavusoglu,
claiming that in the past two other PACE presidents had not visited
Dzidzernagapert.
"Despite all this, it is my own decision. I respect your opinions,
but everybody has to respect my decision," urged the PACE president,
who is a member of the Turkish parliament and a founding member of
the Turkish ruling party.
Upon learning of his intentions to not visit Dzidzernagapert, Armenian
authorities caved in and altered the format of the visit from an
"official" to a "working" one. This prompted a decision by the Armenian
Revolutionary Federation to boycott all meetings with Cavusoglu.
Other parties who claimed they would meet with Cavusoglu to personally
address their dissatisfactions were all rebuffed by the PACE president.
Speaking about his nationality, the PACE President said that first
of all he is the leader of the Assembly, who should fulfill his
obligations regardless of anything. Cavusoglu had been head of the
Turkish delegation prior to his election to the post of PACE President.
During the press conference, Cavusoglu also reported that in response
to a letter from Nagorno-Karabakh Republic Parliament speaker,
Ashot Ghoulyan, asking for official PACE observers to the upcoming
parliamentary elections, the PACE presidency decided to not send an
observer mission since PACE "does not send delegations to zones of
frozen conflicts."
Cavusoglu claimed that efforts to revive the subcommittee on
Nagorno-Karabakh were already under way before he was elected president
of the body.
Concerns have been voiced that the sub-commission cannot be impartial
because Turkey continues to unconditionally support Azerbaijan in
the conflict and Cavusoglu has made pro-Azeri statements that could
taint the process.
"All the member countries of the Assembly have to abide by the Assembly
resolutions," Cavusoglu said. "But we are also pragmatic.
Especially when there are different opinions on an issue." He added
that he will take the Armenian concerns into account even if he does
not agree with them.