Epress.am News from Armenia
Former Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) member, former co-rapporteur for Armenia, and current president of the EU’s Platform of European Memory and Conscience Göran Lindblad (pictured), in written correspondence with Epress.am, said that head of Armenia’s delegation to PACE Davit Harutyunyan tried “to buy” him.
Recall, local daily Joghovurd, in an article published today, reported that Lindblad made a similar statement at a recent PACE meeting.
The Swedish diplomat described the situation, noting that in this position, he wouldn’t have gone public since his presentation was in a committee meeting. However, he agreed to provide more details, mentioning two incidents when someone tried to “buy him”:
“Anyway, I am happy to repeat what I said: The Committee on Rules meeting was about good conduct among members of PACE so they do not get dependent or bought. It was also about good practice in lobby work.
“I mentioned the only two occasions that someone has tried to buy me. The first was in the 1980’s when a Soviet consul tried to recruit me, but he ran into a convinced anti-communist (me). The second time I was chair of [the] PACE Political Affairs Committee representing the whole assembly in the Advisory Board dealing with the Forum for the Future of Democracy [which took place in Yerevan in Oct. 2010].
“The firm standpoint of the Assembly (not my private) was that Yerevan was not yet democratic enough for the Forum. Especially as the killings at the last [2008 presidential] election had not been investigated (still not, I guess). So I voted against in the board.
“During a meeting in Bern, Haurytunyan invited me for lunch, nothing wrong with paying a lunch for a colleague, that is normal. However, he offered me VIP treatment, and a possibility to speak at the Forum — if I changed my mind. Not an expensive bribe, and I would not get rich from it, but nevertheless a try to buy me!!! Politicians are usually easy to flatter and an offer to speak at an important meeting is always tempting.
“I refused, of course.”