"Sending an official invitation to Armenia while labeling PACE members as 'pro-Armenian' and denying them entry to the country?!"

Official Baku has included individuals who voted against the Azerbaijani delegation in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) on the list of 'undesirable persons.'

This was stated by Ayxan Hacızade, a representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in response to comments made by German MP Frank Schwabe in an interview with Radio Liberty.

In his interview, Frank Schwabe mentioned that Azerbaijan is not interested in membership in the Council of Europe and criticized official Baku for objecting to PACE not being invited to observe elections to the Milli Majlis (National Assembly). He also compared governance in Azerbaijan to that of the Soviet Union.

Ayxan Hacızade, the representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, called these comments biased.

Frank Schwabe, head of the German delegation to PACE, criticized official Baku’s decision to ban members who voted to restrict the powers of the Azerbaijani delegation in PACE from entering the country.

"In democratic countries, travel bans are only applied to extremists and violent criminals," he wrote on social media platform X.

PACE President Theodor Russopulos responded to the statement by the Azerbaijani Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding the designation of certain members of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) as persona non grata in Azerbaijan.

"This is simply a regrettable signal that complicates Azerbaijan's current position in the Council of Europe. Member states have committed themselves to adhering to democratic standards. Therefore, blacklisting those who vote according to their conscience can only lead to counterproductive results," Russopulos wrote on his account on platform X.

Samir Kazimli, co-founder of the Legal Platform and deputy chairman of the Civil Rights Institute, answered ASTNA's questions on the topic.

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Question: Mr. Samir, official Baku has included individuals who voted against the Azerbaijani delegation in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) on the list of 'undesirable persons.' How appropriate is this action?

Answer: PACE is an international platform representing 46 countries. Most of the countries represented there are developed and have influence in global politics. Straining relations with such an organization will not benefit a country like Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijan itself is a member of the Council of Europe and has taken on obligations. PACE conducts monitoring to ensure the fulfillment of these obligations. However, Azerbaijan was not fulfilling the obligations it had undertaken. For years, both local and international communities have been calling on the Azerbaijani government to fulfill these obligations.

To avoid discussion of non-fulfillment of obligations in PACE, it became known that the Azerbaijani government had bribed PACE members. The Azerbaijani government managed to achieve its goals for some time in PACE by bribing figures like Luca Volontè and Pedro Agramunt, which gave the government some reassurance. However, those who were bribed by the Azerbaijani government in PACE were later exposed. As a result, the Azerbaijani government’s situation in PACE became more difficult. The Azerbaijani government had to either fulfill its obligations to the Council of Europe or take the opposite course. Unfortunately, the latter happened, and the government took the well-known steps in PACE.

COP29 will be held in Azerbaijan in November. Many state officials, public figures, diplomats, journalists, and others from various fields are expected to attend. At such a time, placing members of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), one of the main organizations in Europe, on the list of 'undesirable persons' raises questions. What have these people done against Azerbaijan? They simply froze the mandate of Azerbaijan's delegation in PACE because Azerbaijan did not fulfill its obligations to the Council of Europe, hoping that this would encourage Azerbaijan to comply with its obligations. This is a standard procedure.

It is important to improve, not worsen, relations with PACE. I believe that placing some PACE members on the 'undesirable persons' list is not the right step, especially before COP29, as this will not reflect well.

How is it that an invitation is sent to Armenia, a country with which Azerbaijan has been at war for many years, whose soldiers occupied Azerbaijani territories for nearly 30 years, and with whom no peace agreement has been signed, for COP29 participation, yet some PACE members are placed on the 'undesirable persons' list?

I am not against sending an invitation to Armenia for COP29. I am just drawing a comparison.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan released information about the inclusion of PACE members who voted to suspend the powers of the Azerbaijani delegation, including the German PACE deputy and author of that resolution, Frank Schwabe, on the list of 'undesirable persons' after Schwabe mentioned in his interview with Radio Liberty that he intended to visit Azerbaijan in connection with COP29.

In the government-controlled media in Azerbaijan, Schwabe is also portrayed as pro-Armenian. The question arises: why does official Baku hinder the participation of Schwabe and other PACE members in COP29, while sending an invitation to Armenia for the same event? By this logic, an invitation should not have been sent to Armenia either. This indicates that the issue is not about being pro-Armenian, but about human rights. Schwabe stated in his interview that if he comes to Baku, he will talk about human rights.

Question: Frank Schwabe mentioned that Azerbaijan is not interested in membership in the Council of Europe and criticized official Baku for not inviting PACE to observe the National Assembly elections. The absence of PACE observers at the presidential elections led to the suspension of Azerbaijan's activities in PACE. Despite this, PACE has not been invited to the upcoming elections, and some members have even been characterized as 'undesirable persons.' What could be the consequences of Azerbaijan's decision not to invite PACE this time?

Answer: Unfortunately, this will further cool relations between Azerbaijan and the Council of Europe. If the Azerbaijani government does not take steps to improve relations in the near future, relations could deteriorate further. Gradually, Azerbaijan might distance itself from an international platform.

I believe that the known resolution by PACE was a call for Azerbaijan to take steps to fulfill its obligations to the Council of Europe. However, this time the call was made in a more severe manner. If the Azerbaijani government continues its policy of not fulfilling its obligations, a reputation might develop in the Council of Europe and other international organizations that Azerbaijan is a country that avoids cooperation, does not fulfill its obligations, and does not respect human rights. This will not be a favorable outcome for our country.

Question: What will the 'undesirable persons' issue bring to Azerbaijan?

Answer: I believe this matter will have more harmful consequences. On one hand, Azerbaijan wants to host an international event, COP29, and on the other hand, it considers members of another international organization, PACE, as 'undesirable persons.'

Additionally, while extending an official invitation for COP29 to Armenia, with whom Azerbaijan has had hostile relations for over 30 years and has no diplomatic ties, Azerbaijan has listed a group of PACE deputies as 'undesirable persons,' labeling them as pro-Armenian. It would be good for representatives of the Azerbaijani government to clarify these contradictions and misunderstandings.

If guests at COP29, including journalists, ask Azerbaijani officials such questions, what explanations or answers will they provide? Therefore, reasonable steps should be taken to avoid facing such questions.

Question: PACE President Theodor Russopulos stated that this complicates Azerbaijan's current position in the Council of Europe. Is Azerbaijan doing this deliberately?

Answer: Some people in Azerbaijan had hoped that this time the parliamentary elections would be conducted more normally compared to previous ones, which would lead to improved relations with PACE. Unfortunately, the opposite is happening. And this doesn’t seem to be accidental; it feels more like it’s happening intentionally. Why is this being done? It is difficult to find a precise answer to this question. The authorities who created this situation should answer this question.

Question: Does Azerbaijan not need PACE?

Answer: The question can be broadened to ask: Does Azerbaijan need PACE, or does PACE need Azerbaijan? Azerbaijan itself joined the Council of Europe and sent a delegation to its Parliamentary Assembly. Azerbaijan’s membership in the Council of Europe coincided with the current government’s tenure, and at the time, the government presented it as a great success.

The Council of Europe has standards. Member countries must take steps to fulfill the obligations they have undertaken. For many years, Azerbaijan has been under PACE’s monitoring regarding the fulfillment of these obligations. Azerbaijan’s name is mentioned in negative contexts regarding the implementation of the decisions of the European Court of Human Rights. Azerbaijan was also implicated in the 'caviar diplomacy' and bribery of deputies in PACE. And finally, after the suspension of the Azerbaijani delegation’s powers in PACE, tensions arose. However, despite all this, PACE does not want Azerbaijan to distance itself from this organization. It’s not because they greatly need Azerbaijan, but because they don’t want Azerbaijan to fall behind in terms of human rights and freedoms. I think the Council of Europe wants Azerbaijan to develop. The Council of Europe has implemented programs with the Azerbaijani government for this purpose. Funds were allocated by the Council of Europe to improve the judiciary, healthcare, legal system, and other sectors in Azerbaijan. However, many of these programs were unsuccessful. That is another topic.

It may be that today the Azerbaijani government does not need PACE, but Azerbaijan needs PACE for its citizens to live well and prosper.

Question: What steps should both sides take to normalize relations?

Answer: From the statements of officials of the Council of Europe and PACE representatives, it is evident that they are not interested in Azerbaijan staying outside this organization.

It is also clear from Frank Schwabe’s interview with Radio Liberty, who is most mentioned in this issue, that he wants Azerbaijan to return to PACE. He also expressed hope that Azerbaijan would take positive steps after the suspension of its delegation’s activities in PACE. However, the opposite happened, and new arrests were made. He indirectly admitted that this affected him and led him to make harsh statements against the Azerbaijani government on the X platform.

In his interview, when Frank Schwabe talks about the negative situations in Azerbaijan, he starts his sentences with "unfortunately." This means that he also regrets the negative situations in Azerbaijan.

I believe that if the Azerbaijani government takes positive steps in human rights and election matters, PACE will evaluate this positively, leading to progress in improving relations.

Instead of putting PACE members on the 'undesirable persons' list, Azerbaijan could have invited them to COP29, just as it sent an invitation to Armenia. In other words, the Azerbaijani government has the means to normalize relations. Unfortunately, these opportunities are not being utilized.