BAKU, Azerbaijan, March 22. On March 20, the National Council (the lower house) of the Swiss parliament discussed the cantonal initiative "Canton of Geneva 24.321: Annexation of Nagorno-Karabakh. Release of political prisoners in Azerbaijan," TurkicWorld reports.
The National Council overwhelmingly rejected the initiative by 108 votes to 33. Since the Senate (the upper house) of the Swiss parliament had already rejected this cantonal initiative last year, the issue is considered closed and is no longer subject to further discussion.
Moreover, during last year’s discussions in the Senate’s Foreign Affairs Committee, there was a call to refrain from further debates on issues related to Azerbaijani-Armenian relations, as they undermine the successful peace process in the region.
Thus, the latest attempt by the Armenian diaspora in Switzerland to achieve any success in the country’s legislative body has failed completely.
However, local Armenian organizations, clearly influenced by Dashnaks, continue to use various propaganda activities during Armenia’s election year to undermine the peace process, which is the main advantage of Pashinyan’s administration.
On March 18, a press conference was held at the Geneva Press Club, organized by Christian Solidarity International (CSI), the Swiss-Armenian Association (l’Association Suisse Arménie), the Armenian Legal Defense Front, and an organization presenting itself as the "Committee for the Protection of the Fundamental Rights of the People of Nagorno-Karabakh," on the topic "Switzerland, SOCAR and the South Caucasus: Anniversary of the Swiss peace initiative on Nagorno-Karabakh."
During the event, a complaint was voiced against SOCAR Trading, alleging that through its commercial activities it had provided financial support to a state allegedly responsible for the "expulsion of the Armenian population from the Nagorno-Karabakh region."
This is far from the first attack by Armenian revanchist groups in the country against SOCAR’s activities in Switzerland. Like previous ones, it is considered doomed to fail. However, it may still have a propaganda effect in the run-up to elections in Armenia. According to independent observers, the complaint in question had a pre-election nature and did not create any legal obligations.
At the same event, it was also noted that a year ago the Swiss government refused to comply with a demand by the Federal Assembly (parliament) to hold a so-called "peace forum" between Azerbaijan, Armenia, and "representatives of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh" due to the unwillingness of both states. The fact that the Swiss government categorically rejected this initiative, given Azerbaijan and Armenia’s refusal to participate in some "forum" in the Alps instead of a real peace process supported by the United States, caused dissatisfaction and resentment among the participants.
It is also noteworthy that, while members of the Swiss parliament had attended previous similar events organized by the Armenian diaspora, this time lawmakers ignored the gathering of Armenian revanchists and Christian radicals.
