VIDEO. How Representatives of Turkey and Azerbaijan Attempted to Disrupt Armenian Delegate's Speech on Artsakh at PACE

Representatives of the Turkish and Azerbaijani delegations at PACE have attempted to interrupt the speech of Armenian MP Hayk Mamijanyan regarding the status of Artsakh. The session of the PACE plenary assembly today was presided over by a representative from the Turkish national delegation, who interrupted Mamijanyan’s presentation on Artsakh and gave the floor to an Azerbaijani delegate, who claimed that the Armenian MP had no right to speak about the conflict because the discussion on this issue had already concluded on the PACE platform.

Members of the Armenian delegation, MPs Vladimir Vardanyan and Ruben Rubinyan from the ruling Civil Contract party, requested the right to speak under the procedural rules. They emphasized that the presiding officer had no right to interrupt their colleague’s speech and demanded the opportunity for Mamijanyan to conclude his remarks.

We present Mamijanyan's full speech below:

“Ladies and gentlemen,

On the first day of this session, we discussed the aggression unleashed by Azerbaijan against Armenia. There is a saying: ‘Gratitude isn’t expressed for the truth,’ but I would like to thank those who have had the courage to voice the truth from this and other platforms. I certainly mean those individuals who have had the bravery to raise their voices on behalf of my people. To all those who have not remained deaf to my people’s voice. Such displays of courage have become rare in our days.

However, during that discussion, there was no mention of the issues relating to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. We did not speak about those who believed that the five statements made by global leaders within the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group held some value in the context of Nagorno-Karabakh’s self-determination. People who lived peacefully in their homeland and hoped that the words “non-use of force” would have an impact. They were brutally deceived.

As a result of the reckless diplomacy pursued by the current government of Armenia, the idea of separating the resolution of Armenia-Azerbaijan relations from the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is becoming a reality. The world is preparing to leave small Artsakh alone against Azerbaijan. Unfortunately, this narrative cannot conclude like the story of David and Goliath. The reason is not the lack of will from the people of Artsakh to stand for the future of their homeland. The reason is that, historically in international relations, conflicts relating to the self-determination of nations have never been resolved through negotiations between the metropolis and the minority. This narrative will conclude for Artsakh in the same way as the story of the Armenian military woman who was tortured and killed by Azerbaijani soldiers.

I do not neglect the importance of any issue discussed in this hall; however, I firmly believe that the torture of a woman, accompanied by live skinning, leaving writing on her chest and abdomen, a stone in her eye, and a severed finger in her mouth, is at least as significant as the displays of discrimination against women in the world of sports we discussed yesterday. The history of Artsakh will end in the same way as the stories of Armenian prisoners of war who were captured and killed by Azerbaijani troops merely for the ‘pleasure’ of it—simply because they were Armenians.

I know some of you are tired of hearing our speeches on this issue, while others are horrified by the incidents I have presented in my speech. However, if the question of the status of Nagorno-Karabakh stays outside the context of Armenia-Azerbaijan relations, be assured that my future speeches from the PACE podium regarding the people of Nagorno-Karabakh will be even more horrifying, perhaps written in the past tense as well.

Ladies and gentlemen, if you continue to ignore what is happening in Nagorno-Karabakh, it will be very difficult for me to wipe the smile from the face of the presiding officer, who was attempting to disrupt my speech.

Thank you.”