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Azerbaijani parliamentarian says Europeâ€™s negligence toward Karabakh problem led to Ukrainian crisis

27 January 2015 14:10 (UTC +04:00)

Strasbourg. Fuad Gulubeyli – APA. The report on the humanitarian situation of refugees and IDPs in Ukraine prepared by British MP Jim Sheridan was discussed on Tuesday at the plenary meeting of the winter session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE).

In his speech, member of the Azerbaijani delegation to PACE Rafael Huseynov brought up the issue of Azerbaijani refugees and IDPs.

“The answers of these questions are so simple that everyone can guess them. At the same time, these questions are very hurtful ones. Which is more? A thousand, ten thousand, fifty thousand, a hundred thousand or a million? Again, which is more? Three months, five months, one year or 26 years, 22 years? Is a tragedy more horrible at the start or when it’s going to remain for over 20 years? There’s no question that today everyone who is talking about Ukrainian refugees and IDPs feels the bitterness of this tragedy, and it makes them try to share their trouble or help them in some way. In my opinion, no one can imagine that trouble as Azerbaijanis, and no one can share that trouble with so much sensitivity as Azerbaijanis. The reason is pretty simple. We have been living this trouble every day since 20-25 years ago, witnessing the consequences of a similar tragedy every day. To date, there has been much discussion of the refugee problem at the Parliamentary Assembly, resolutions adopted. But what is the outcome? Is there any advancement? Almost nothing, unfortunately!

Huseynov noted that the process’s lasting and becoming a chain reaction is inevitable, if there is an undesirable precedent, no effective measure is taken to prevent it, decisive steps are not taken: “The number of refugees and internally displaced persons in Europe was smaller in 2001 than today. In the same year, as a country having about 1 million refugees and displaced persons as a result of the Armenian occupation with support of other forces, Azerbaijan became a member of the Council of Europe. At that time, all the Azerbaijani people and 1 million refugees and displaced wished the Council of Europe to assist the solution of the problem and believed their hopes would be realized. Armenia’s also becoming a member of the Council of Europe increased the hopes, the organization had the opportunities to show a significant effect on the positive solution of the problem. However, soft, a little indifferent attitude protracted the solution of the problem. History has ruthless and cruel laws. One remaining indifferent to other’s tragedy will be punished. The tragedy you remain indifferent to, that you could have solved, will become a boomerang, accelerator and turn to you with as new disasters: yesterday in Moldova, the day before yesterday in Georgia, the next day in Ukraine, another day in another neighboring country and days after in your country… We have to admit that the tragedy will continue, its scope will expand over time and cover unimaginable countries. We don’ want this to happen, but we must be ready, a logical progression of events leads to it.”