Ombudswoman Aurelia Grigoriu said the speech that she gave in the scientific-practical conference in Yerevan wasn’t political in character. The statement comes several days after Aurelia Grigoriu said in Yerevan that Armenia is an aggressive state that occupied 20% of Azerbaijan’s territory, IPN reports.
In a news conference on July 8, Aurelia Grigoriu said that being a defender of the human rights, the ombudsperson does not make political statements and her speech at the conference in Yerevan, which was titled “Defense and respect for the human rights on the territories where there are frozen conflicts”, described the situation concerning the basic human rights and fundamental freedoms in Armenia, Georgia and Moldova. Aurelia Grigoriu also said that the presented facts are not a novelty and can be accessed by anyone. “The accusations made against me, as if I work for Azerbaijan, are absurd and groundless,” she stated.
On the other hand, the Center for Human Rights of Moldova, which is the institution of the ombudspersons in Moldova, already sent a letter to Armenia, expressing its regret at the incident. The Moldovan ombudspersons voiced hope that it will not affect the traditional relations of esteem and cooperation between the national human rights protection institutions of Moldova and Armenia.
Head of Parliament Igor Corman Monday paid a visit to the Center for Human Rights of Moldova, where he said that Aurelia Grigoriu’s speech was a serious mistake and such things should not repeat. The ombudswoman will be questioned by the Parliament’s human rights commission. Igor Corman added that the legislation allows depriving an ombudsperson from the Parliament’s trust.
The conference on the European standards of the rule of law was staged in Yerevan by the Constitutional Court and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia on July 4. In her speech, Aurelia Grigoriu accused the Armenian people of genocide against the Azeri people. She was thus accused of being paid by Baku to make such statements.
