News - Vardanyan to Seyidov: What will you answer if your grandchildren ask what happened with Armenians in Karabakh?

Vladimir Vardanyan, a member of the Armenia National Assembly (NA) Delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), on Tuesday delivered an address at the regular sitting of PACE Plenary Session, the NA informed. “From time to time I would like to just rise and keep silent here, say nothing, because very often I have the feeling that everybody speaks, but nobody listens. It’s very complicated not to agree with the rapporteur about the report, about his speech. Yes, for sure: far-right ideology should be condemned. For sure we should fight against intolerance, racism, xenophobia, anti-Islamic movements, and so on. “But unfortunately hypocrisy rises to the level there; it's easy to speak about a phenomenon without looking at yourself. “Mr. [Samad] Seyidov [a member of the Azerbaijan delegation to PACE], you say everything about all the developments, but you say nothing about Armenians, about anti-Armenian rhetoric existing in some countries of the Council of Europe. You didn't say this. I understand you. You also didn't agree to include in your report cases of state-sponsored cases of far-right ideologies. You don't want to speak about this, and I understand you perfectly well. “You know, honorable colleagues, nobody today calls himself or herself a fascist or a Nazi. Now we understand perfectly well that new racial theories are based rather on another phenomenon: on the phenomenon of racial hatred, which is very well covered with different, beautiful names. Far-right ideology. “When we were discussing the report on far-right ideology, we became the witnesses of several speeches which are the brilliant manifestation of far-right ideologies. “That’s why I'm saying that it's much better to keep silent. “I cannot vote in favor of this report for the above mentioned reasons, but I would like to ask Mr. Seyidov, in a couple of years, if your children, grandchildren would come to you and ask what happened with the Armenians living in Nagorno-Karabakh, what would be your answer? “Thank you,” Vladimir Vardanyan concluded.