Council of Europe discusses return of Azerbaijan to PACE

The return of Azerbaijani delegation to the PACE is discussed in the Council of Europe. The issue was raised in the Committee of Monsters of the Council of Europe.

This was stated by the acting chairman of the CoE Committee of Ministers, Liechtenstein Foreign Minister Dominique Hasler at the spring session of the PACE, answering the questions of deputies.

"Azerbaijan is a full member of the Council of Europe and has equal rights along with other members of the organization. Naturally, the country also has the same obligations to meet the standards of the Council of Europe in terms of civil and political rights. You can be sure that the Committee of Ministers will consistently continue the dialogue to find a common way to resolve this issue," Hasler said.

She pointed out that "after joining the CoE in 2001, Azerbaijan used the support of the Council of Europe in the process of democratic transition".

In turn, "the Council of Europe has utilized Azerbaijan's contribution to promote its values and expand the scope of their dissemination."

"This is a borderless, mutually beneficial co-operation. Undoubtedly, half of the way has been passed, serious improvements and reforms are required. I believe that we need each other and I hope that the Azerbaijani delegation will soon return to its worthy place in the Parliamentary Assembly, so that the cooperation and dialogue continue for the sake of values that unites us," the head of the CoE Committee of Ministers said.

She also answered a question regarding the Karabakh separatists arrested in Azerbaijan.

"For Armenia they are prisoners of war, for Azerbaijan they are common criminals. But whatever it is, they are human beings and are under the protection of European conventions. So the treatment of them should be in line with that," Hasler emphasized.

Note that the powers of the Azerbaijani delegation to the PACE were suspended at the January 2024 session.

The initiators of this decision motivated this step by Azerbaijan's failure to fulfill its obligations to the CoE, as well as the failure to invite the PACE delegation to monitor the Presidential elections on 7 February.