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Azerbaijani parliamentarian demands PACE to react to killing of nine-year-old Azerbaijani Fariz Badalov by Armenian sniper

11 April 2011 14:25 (UTC +04:00)

The report made by Sinikka Hurskainen (Finland) covered the recent activity of the PACE. Members of the Armenian delegation David Harutunyan and Armen Rustamyan objected to the PACE Subcommittee on Nagorno Karabakh, said it is not right to establish such a committee under PACE. They accused Azerbaijan of expressing nonconstructive position in the negotiations between the two countries. Member of the Azerbaijani delegation Ganira Pashayeva informed the European parliamentarians about the killing of nine-year-old Azerbaijani Fariz Badalov by a sniper of the Armenian Armed Forces.
â€œI am grateful to the rapporteur for the detailed report. But as the report does not cover a number of developments in the South Caucasus that exacerbate the tension in the region, I want to inform my colleagues about it,â€ she said.

Members of the Armenian delegation Harutunyan and Rustamyan made speeches here. We expected them at least to apologize here for the crime committed by the Armenian Armed Forces, the killing of nine-year-old Azerbaijani Fariz Badalov. I regret that they did not do it and once more demonstrated the essence of the policy pursued by their state.

On March 8, 2011 â€“ the International Women Day, Armenian armed forces shot dead 9-year old Azerbaijani boy, resident of Orta Garvand village of Azerbaijanâ€™s Aghdam region Fariz Badalov, while he was playing outside his house. Armenians fired from a sniper rifle from the posts in the occupied Azerbaijani territories (occupied villages of Aghdam region). The killing of Fariz Badalov, only child in the family, is a human tragedy, the action against the norms and principles of the international law. During the international womenâ€™s holiday, they left a mother in tears. I am a member of the parliament from the region of Azerbaijan, having the borders with Armenia. The people living there, the mother, whose child was killed, asked me to pass their voice and ideas. That mother asks: â€œWhat is my childâ€™s guilt? Why did they kill him? Why do the Council of Europe, its Parliamentary Assembly, which were founded on the basis of human rights protection, keep silence? Why donâ€™t they condemn Armenian armed forces for killing of the 9-year old child? Why donâ€™t they make a statement? Why doesnâ€™t the Council of Europe demand Armenia to fulfill its membership commitments about the solution of Nagorno Karabakh problem and PACE resolution adopted in 2005?â€ The mother, whose child was killed, demands answers to these questions. She demands justice from this organization. I hope that the Council of Europe, its Parliamentary Assembly will not remain indifferent to the killing of 9-year old boy and calls of his mother. I hope that it will strongly condemn this action and demand Armenia to punish those, who committed this crime, to fulfill its commitments taken before the Council of Europe and PACE resolution 1416. I hope that you will not be indifferent to the killing of a child and tears of a mother, and that you will issue a statement condemning this action. I hope that you will raise your voice for stopping the killing of people, including childrenâ€.

Ganira Pashayeva said this was not a first such action by the Armenian armed forces. â€œArmenian armed forces frequently violate the ceasefire and fire on the Azerbaijani villages from their posts in the occupied Azerbaijani territories. Their snipers target the civilians and kill or wound them from the sniper rifles. Those, who kill innocent people, are not punished, in contrary, they are rewarded. Relatives of the killed innocent people, one million Azerbaijani refugees and IDPs, who can not return home for more than 15 years, call on you to demand Armenia to stop the killing of innocent people, let one million Azerbaijani refugees and IDPs to return home, to withdraw its forces from the occupied Azerbaijani lands according to the PACE resolution 1416, to fulfill all of its commitments before the Council of Europe and resolutions adopted by this organization, and not to remain indifferent to these issues. It is your choice. I call on you to support the justiceâ€.

In his speech, the MP underlined that with these steps Armenia aggravates the situation in the region: â€œBut the Armeniaâ€™s steps which aggravate the situation in the region donâ€™t finish with it. Armenia carries out the construction of the airport in the occupied Azerbaijani lands, Nagorno Karabakh district which is contrary to all the international norms. These steps of official Yerevan are against 4 resolutions of the UN Council of Security on the liberation of Azerbaijani lands, the obligations assumed by Armenia in front of the Council of Europe, PACEâ€™s resolution 1416. The construction of the airport in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan is the full stroke to the negotiations process for regulation of Nagorno Karabakh conflict in peaceful way held by the mediation of the OSCE Minsk Group. At the same time Armeniaâ€™s step aggravated the situation in the region. Unfortunately, despite all protests of the Azerbaijani side, the Armenian officials continue to take steps and issue statements aggravating the situation. The statements of Armenian president Serzh Sargsyan that he will be the first passenger of the plane which will land on the airport built in the occupied Nagorno Karabakh region of Azerbaijan are against the international law, against the Armeniaâ€™s commitment undertaken before the Council of Europe, PACEâ€™s resolution 1416. Taking all of these into account, PACE must condemn the construction of the airport in the Azerbaijani lands occupied by Armenia, as well as must call on the official Yerevan to stop the construction of the airport, to avoid to take such steps and issue such statements, to fulfill commitments before the Council of Europe and PACEâ€™s resolution 1416, to withdraw its forces from the occupied Azerbaijani lands and give a chance to 1 million Azerbaijani refugees and IDPs to return to their homes and PACE must demand itâ€.

We can not understand the statements of Armenian delegation against PACE Subcommittee on Nagorno-Karabakh. Letâ€™s remember: why was this committee founded? This committee was founded as an organization for control the fulfillment of resolution 1416 adopted by PACE, for holding dialogue and discussions for peaceful solution to the Nagorno Karabakh conflict.

Azerbaijan supports the activity of this committee, because we want the peaceful solution to this conflict. Armeniaâ€™s refusal shows again that they are not interested in the settlement of the conflict.