PACE Pro-Azerbaijani Reports as a New Milestone for Armenia-CoE Relations

• 01.25.2016, 20:09
• Liana Hovhannisyan
•  Europe,  "Insight" Analytical Center

No matter how negative the two PACE anti-Armenian reports are, they still can become a new milestone for Armenia, PACE and the Council of Europe in general. However, in order to archive this milestone both the CoE and the RA should be able to give an adequate response to the reports and as a result, to the current situation in spite of the outcome of the vote. And what should that adequate response be?

The Republic of Armenia (at the level of both the government and the society) should by all means avoid of building artificial barriers between Armenia and PACE (in the worst case between Armenia and the CoE or the European direction, in general) and should react to the shortcomings observed in the CoE bodies not as a neighbor but as a family member. Such a stance of Armenia can become more real if the latter, for example, initiates reforms (be it in Ministerial Committee, in the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities or in other bodies) based on the existing shortcomings.

As for the adequate response by the PACE or the Council of Europe in general, then it faces a problem of regaining its reputation on the international arena to first of all prove to its members that none of the CoE bodies can oppose the European common values (for example, right to freedom of speech and expression) for the sake of personal interests of its some MPs. To do it PACE can also turn to substantial actions and for example give an opportunity to the people of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh Republic) to at least  participate in the discussions of the topics that refer to their fate (as it is the case for Northern Cyprus and Kosovo).

To conclude we should add that the CoE in general and the Republic of Armenia in particular need to constructively respond to the difficult situation they face today; the respond  which is quite possible, if we take into account the long years of cooperation between Armenia and the CoE.