At February 2 press conference, the RA NA PACE Delegation presented details about the works of PACE Winter Session, which went on in Strasbourg on January 25-28.

The Head of the Delegation Ruben Rubinyan, the members Vladimir Vardanyan, Tatevik Hayrapetyan, Sos Avetisyan, Hovhannes Igityan and Edmon Marukyan took part in the press conference.

Rubinyan informed that the Delegation took part in the works of the Session in a hybrid manner. Mikayel Melkumyan and Naira Zohrabyan worked remotely.

According to him, the prior problem of the Armenian Delegation was the voicing of the problems emerged after the war unleashed against the Artsakh Republic by Azerbaijan, particularly the issue on the prisoners of war. In respect the Delegation proposed to include the item of the Armenian prisoners of war in the PACE Session agenda, which, however the PACE Bureau refused. The Delegation considered less possible that the proposal would be included among of the items for current debate. Other themes, particularly, the issue on Alexei Navalny had been of priority among the European delegates.

Nevertheless, not including the issue of the prisoners of war was debated both in the PACE Bureau and in the political groups, and even addressed questions to the CoE Secretary General. Later announcements were made on Twitter social website, claiming that the Armenian prisoners of war should be immediately returned.

The Head of the Delegation had meetings with the CoE Secretary General, the Human Rights Commissioner, the PACE President, where the issue of the return of the Armenian prisoners of war had been the main theme for debate. It has also been noted that Armenia continues remaining the warrant of Artsakh’s security.

To the assessment of the member of the Delegation Tatevik Hayrapetyan, as a result of debates they succeeded to blow out the air the myth on being ready for constructive dialogue by Azerbaijan. The members of the Delegation positively assessed the meetings, as a result of which the announcements by the European structures had been assessed as pressures against Azerbaijan.