Armenian MPs Not Opposed to Participating in Upcoming Meeting in Baku

The EuroNest Parliamentary Assembly‘s Committee on Social Affairs, Education, Culture and Civil Society meeting that took place in Armenia’s National Assembly building Feb. 21–23 was interesting in the sense that members from Azerbaijan participated, said Republican Party of Armenia MP Artak Zakaryan, speaking to journalists in Yerevan today.

He mentioned that the Committee’s next meeting will take place in Baku and members who came to Yerevan expressed great hopes that members from Armenia would again participate in the meeting.

Zakaryan pointed out that the Azerbaijani delegates didn’t have any security issues in Yerevan, but recalled an incident when an Armenian wrestler had problems related to his participation in a tournament taking place in Baku.

“There’s a desire to participate if there are guarantees. It would be right to participate. Since this isn’t Azerbaijan’s event, but a EuroNest [event],” he said.

According to him, the sooner civil society develops in Azerbaijan and the public isn’t under pressure from the authorities, the sooner conflicts will have visible solutions.

Note, issues related to settling the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict weren’t discussed at the meeting, since the EuroNest Parliamentary Assembly doesn’t deal with resolving conflicts.