PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY COUNCEL OF
1. The Parliamentary Assembly refers
to its Recommendation 1263 (1995) and Resolution 1059 (1995) on the humanitarian situation of the
refugees and displaced persons in Armenia and Azerbaijan, Recommendation 1305 (1996) on the humanitarian situation of the
displaced persons in Georgia, and Recommendation 1335 (1997) on the refugees and displaced persons
in Transcaucasia.
2. The Assembly is concerned by the
fact that a decade after so-called ethnic conflicts that plagued the region
after the collapse of the Soviet Union, still more than one million people
remain displaced in the
3. These conflicts, initially
perceived as short-term, remain unresolved today. In this context, the Assembly
welcomes the efforts of
4. In particular, the Assembly
stresses that under no circumstances should the displaced populations be used
as an argument for political aims. Durable solutions, including integration for
those who wish to integrate, should be elaborated and implemented without
further delay in full co-operation with the international community.
5. In this respect, the Assembly
notes with satisfaction some positive developments in the national policies of
the countries concerned. In particular, the New Approach in
6. The Assembly is fully aware of
the difficult economic situation in the three republics, and in particular of a
high rate of unemployment which – to a great extent – concerns primarily the
local population. The Assembly recognises the need for foreign investments and
assistance to revive national economies in the region.
7. In this context, the Assembly is
concerned by the considerable reduction in international humanitarian aid as a
result of “donor fatigue”. While recognising that it is important to avoid
creating dependence on this aid, it believes that the withdrawal should be
offset by its replacement by development programmes aimed at promoting
self-sufficiency among displaced as well as local vulnerable populations.
8. The regional parliamentary
co-operation, launched in September 1999 by the Speakers of the Parliaments of
Armenia,
9. The Assembly therefore recommends
that the Committee of Ministers:
i. urge the member states of the
Council of Europe:
a. to continue providing humanitarian aid
to the countries in the region, and to ensure that it will not be phased out
before it is replaced by development assistance;
b. to contribute generously to the funding
of the programmes and projects relating to housing, education and job-creation
for refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs);
c. to give their financial and technical
support as well as their expertise to the elaboration of vocational training
schemes, in particular for women and young people;
d. to offer the necessary expertise and
manpower for the de-mining of the region.
ii. urge the three republics
concerned:
a. to continue their sincere efforts
towards peaceful settlements of the conflicts in the region with a view to the
return of all refugees and displaced persons who so wish to their places of
origin;
b. to refrain from instrumental use of
refugees and displaced persons for political aims;
c. to elaborate and implement, in
co-operation with the international community, overall strategies for durable
solutions;
d. to provide refugees and IDPs with
comprehensive and clear information on their rights and on their choice between
return and integration;
e. to provide every refugee with the
opportunity of local integration, and to take measures to facilitate this
process;
f. to review their domestic law with a view
to amending any provisions likely to hinder the process of integration;
g. to seek international funding for the
implementation of concrete projects in the field of housing and
income-generating activities for refugees and internally displaced persons;
h. to ensure access to health care and
transparency, and exercise better control over the distribution of
international aid and medicaments;
iii. urge the Armenian authorities:
a. to facilitate access to land for IDPs
and refugees, but not in occupied territories;
b. to include displacement as a factor of
vulnerability in the government-run vulnerability assessment system (
c. to solicit international assistance, and
to draw the attention of the Armenian diaspora to the alarming living
conditions of refugees and IDPs;
d. to seek international assistance for the
establishment of a special fund which would provide refugees and IDPs with
basic health care and medicines;
iv. urge the Azeri authorities:
a. to improve the living conditions of the
displaced population in refugee camps;
b. to encourage and sponsor
self-sufficiency among refugees by the introduction of income-generating
programmes;
c. to increase the involvement of relevant
non-governmental organisations and representatives of refugees and IDPs in the
elaboration of concrete projects;
v. urge the Georgian authorities:
a. to refrain from any hasty repatriation
of the Chechen refugees before the security conditions in
b. to grant the right to vote in national
and local elections to the displaced Georgian citizens;
c. to ensure the access of the displaced
population to land under the same conditions as the local population;
d. to adopt and implement the law on the
return of Meshketian Turks in compliance with the commitment undertaken by
Georgia upon its accession to the Council of Europe;
e. to enforce the property rights of
potential returnees of Ossetian origin.
10. The Assembly further recommends
that the Committee of Ministers:
i. ensure the continuation of the
involvement and commitment to the political dialogue and confidence building
within and between the three republics;
ii. step up concrete programmes that
are within its remit;
iii. promote the long-term solutions
in regard to refugees and displaced persons in the region;
iv. invite the Council of Europe
Development Bank to respond positively to the projects submitted by the three
republics.
Text
adopted by the Assembly
on 27 June 2002 (23rd
Sitting).
(www.coe.int)