We Should Not Forgive the Country That Heroes Safarov, Mikayel Melkumyan at PACE

During the plenary session of the PACE winter session on the topic "Cases of Disappearance of Refugee and Migrant Children in Europe," a member of the Armenian delegation, Mikayel Melkumyan, addressed Azerbaijan's aggressions against the peaceful population of Artsakh and countered the unfounded claims of a member of the Azerbaijani delegation. Below is the text of his speech:

“Mr. President, esteemed colleagues,
The topic of our discussion today is highly relevant, and it is exceedingly difficult to search for and find effective solutions. The governments of the member states of PACE must do everything necessary to prevent the disappearance of thousands of refugee and migrant children worldwide. This directly stems from the paramount interests of the child. Since all member countries of the Council of Europe are party to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, they must protect children's interests. The conditions for the reception and care of migrant and refugee children must meet the basic requirements of human rights. Children, whether they are refugees or not, have the right to live in normal conditions so that they do not lose their health and are not subjected to psychological trauma.

But what happened during the April 2016 Four-Day War, when Azerbaijani militants were launching devastating bombs against the peaceful Armenian population in Artsakh? The tragic fate of 12-year-old Vahik, who was killed by Azerbaijani shelling, is a noteworthy instance. Moreover, these strikes targeted the school directly. Dozens of other schoolchildren were wounded. But where is the political and legal assessment of this crime? It is quite clear that such crimes should not go unpunished. And what forgiveness are we talking about when scoundrels like Ramil Safarov are glorified in Azerbaijan? This means that we should not forgive the state that promotes this glorification. Yes, such practices exist in international legal conventions. And they should be applied.

On March 31 of this year, presidential and parliamentary elections are anticipated in the Republic of Artsakh. The people of Artsakh are ready for the new elections, and you will see what democracy looks like in this regard. Yes, a functioning state with all its state institutions. We will talk about that afterward, in April.

Dear colleagues,
Finally, I would like to address the statement made by our colleague from the Azerbaijani delegation this morning. He made a rather strange claim that Azerbaijan's instability and various problems are attributed to the fact of Artsakh's independence. No, and once again no, this is an artificially created argument. I believe we must always provide a legal and political assessment of the mentioned phenomena together.”