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,” Trend 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.