Strasbourg, 25.08.2005 - Constitutional reform in Armenia, the forthcoming elections in Azerbaijan and reforms in Georgia were the main issues discussed during high-level meetings held by the President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), René van der Linden during his visit to the South Caucasus from 18 to 23 August. Overall, the President concluded that the reform process in the South-Caucasus as a whole needs to be boosted.
In Armenia, the President urged dialogue between the government, opposition and civil society. The constitutional reform was a test case for further democratic development in Armenia and of its willingness to fulfil its obligations and commitments to the Council of Europe, he said. The success of the referendum would depend in particular on the revision of voters' lists, media independence and the organisation of an effective public awareness raising campaign. The President appealed to government and opposition parties to use the coming days to reach an agreement on joint amendments, so as to attract the broadest support for reform. He said that failure of the reform process would have negative consequences for the country as a whole. He also urged all political actors to enhance their efforts to ensure good relations with Armenia's neighbours.
President van der Linden welcomed the progress made since the Rose Revolution in Georgia, while recognising that state and society can not be transformed overnight. He urged the authorities to maintain the momentum of reform so as to ensure that all obligations and commitments were met within the previously extended deadlines. He stressed that an effective system of checks and balances, including a strong opposition, independent judiciary, active civil society and free media were necessary to the process of democratic reform; they should not be considered only as part of its eventual result.
Reform of local self government was a particularly important aspect of Georgia's democratisation process and the President encouraged the authorities to persevere in the ambitious and far-reaching legislative agenda on this issue. On foreign policy, the President encouraged the authorities to pursue all avenues for the peaceful resolution of conflicts, not only those in South Ossetia and Abkhazia, but also that concerning Nagorno-Karabakh.
In Azerbaijan, the President stressed that the November elections would be a test case for the country and an important opportunity for the international community to see that the government was doing its utmost to ensure free and fair elections. With regard to the electoral fraud committed during the 2003, René van der Linden was reassured by President Aliyev's promise that a full investigation would be completed by November.
He noted the importance of election monitoring and reminded the authorities that in January 2006 PACE would consider the report of its own 40-strong election observation mission. The authorities should reinforce and guarantee media independence and pluralism, including by bringing the capital's Public TV station into operation. He urged all political parties to approach the elections in a positive and constructive spirit of democracy. The President considered that the issues of political prisoners and the murder of Elmar Huseynov were also important for the elections. He called on the authorities to take all the necessary action to ensure that neither the opposition nor the media would continue to feel at risk as a result of their lawful and democratic activities.
On the issue of Nagorno-Karabakh, the President stated his intention to enhance the possibility for parliamentary diplomacy available to the countries' PACE delegations as a complement to the primary means of bilateral diplomacy and the Minsk Group process. He added that democratic development in the two countries would create a better climate for finding a solution.
In all three countries, the President had met religious leaders and noted with great satisfaction the active and positive role they had played together in the reconciliation process. He reminded all those he met that there would be no sustainable development or prosperity and no future for the region's children without a peaceful settlement.
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