Speaking at the European Conference of Speakers of the Parliaments of the Council of Europe in Dublin on 29 September, Alen Simonyan, Speaker of the Armenian National Assembly, condemned Azerbaijan's military operation against the de facto Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh, while not missing an opportunity to criticise Russia.

"Azerbaijan, with its loud rhetoric of hatred and xenophobia, accompanied by ultimatums and military aggression, has created a poisonous atmosphere and is poisoning the peace process. The actions of the international community have created a sense of impunity for Azerbaijan, which has aggravated the situation in the region. Azerbaijan's actions are not limited to Nagorno-Karabakh, but extend to the sovereign territories of Armenia, some of which remain under Azerbaijani control. Azerbaijan's approach is to impose its preferred solutions on Armenia," Simonyan noted.

According to him, Turkey, Azerbaijan and Russia often use the same rhetoric. "I was not surprised that our Turkish colleague approved the use of military force against the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh. I am not surprised that Turkey, Azerbaijan and Russia often use the same rhetoric. What surprises me is that they do it here, in an organisation created to protect human rights," he stated.

Simonyan went on to say that Armenian democracy continues to face many challenges. "For three years, Baku has refused to repatriate Armenian prisoners of war and civilians, contrary to the ruling of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). Moreover, even after the ECHR ruling, Azerbaijan abducted two servicemen from Armenian territory, bringing the total number of confirmed POWs to 35," he added.
The spokesman continued: "Armenia remains committed to the agenda of long-term peace in the region. We hope that the meeting of the leaders of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Germany, France and the EU in Granada, Spain, on the sidelines of the Third Summit of the European Political Community on 5 October will be a step forward in the settlement".

"Armenia strongly supports the peaceful approach agreed by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and President Ilham Aliyev and articulated by the President of the European Council, Charles Michel. We welcome future transport agreements that respect the principles of sovereignty, jurisdiction and reciprocity. We call on the international community, including the Council of Europe, to support this process. Today, some countries are waging a hybrid war against Armenia. The goals are twofold: to overthrow the democratically elected government and to discredit the concept of representative democracy," said Simonyan.