YEREVAN (Armenpress/Yerkir)–National Assembly Vice Speaker Vahan Hovhannisian praised the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Parliamentary Assembly’s Special Representative on the Mountainous Karabagh Conflict Goran Lenmarker–for preparing an unbiased and report–submitted last week to the Assembly’s session in Vienna.
Hovhannisian–who also heads Armenia’s delegation to the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly–added that the report can be instrumental in the work conducted by the OSCE Minsk Group–which is tasked with finding a resolution to the conflict. The final version of the report will be discussed at the Parliamentary Assembly’s next session to take place July 5-9 in Edinburgh–Scotland.
Lenmarker is scheduled to visit MKR during a spring visit to the region–something the Armenian delegation has consistently pushed for said Hovhannisian–since "no report would be complete and comprehensive without visiting Karabagh."
Hovhannisian pointed out–however–that Lenmarker’s report–which views the return of refugees as the most pressing question–raises concerns.
Lenmarker’s report was presented on February 19–the day Armenian officer Gurgen Markaryan was ax murdered by an Azeri classmate in Budapest. Talking about the incident and issues tied to the return of refugees–Hovhannisian stressed that the international community–specifically NATO–should not only be shaken by the brutal murder–but also react with due seriousness.
"The return of Azeri refugees to Mountainous Karabagh and Armenia presupposes the return of Armenian refugees to Baku and Sumgait–but if an Azeri is able to kill an Armenian in his sleep with an ax–this means that the return of Armenian refugees is ruled out." He stressed that Azerbaijan must realize that its refugees cannot return–given that Armenia’s would never agree to move back to Azerbaijan.