Head of Committee of Ministers of Council of Europe hopes for resumption of relations with Azerbaijan

Luxembourg's Foreign Minister Xavier Bettel, the current Chairman of the Council of Europe's Committee of Ministers, expressed his satisfaction with the resumption of cooperation with Azerbaijan within the framework of the Council of Europe's Action Plan on 27 January.

‘The Committee of Ministers welcomes the resumption of cooperation within the framework of the Action Plan on Azerbaijan, which was suspended following the Assembly's decision not to recognise the credentials of the Azerbaijani delegation,’ he said, speaking at the PACE session in Strasbourg.

‘We must remain a platform for dialogue and we hope that the Assembly and the Azerbaijani Parliamentary Delegations will soon find common ground to resume relations,’ Bettel added.’

During the debate, Armenian MP Armen Gevorgyan touched upon the trial of Armenian separatists in Baku. He called the show trial ‘a violation of international law, a tragedy for the Armenian people, and a disgrace for the Council of Europe, which ignores its member's violation of the organisation's core values.’

According to him, ‘the authorities in Baku isolate their people from civilisation, establishing a medieval despotic regime. What justice for Armenians can we talk about in such a situation and how can the Committee of Ministers stop this shameful process?’ - Gevorgyan said.

Bettel responded that those detained and convicted in Azerbaijan should enjoy all the rights guaranteed by the European Convention on Human Rights, including the right to a fair trial.

‘And if they believe that their rights are not respected, they can appeal to the European Court of Human Rights,’ he added.

Recall that on 24 January last year the PACE did not approve the credentials of the Azerbaijani delegation due to the sharp deterioration of the human rights situation in the country, Azerbaijan's failure to fulfil its obligations and refusal to cooperate with the organisation.

President Ilham Aliyev called it an ‘anti-Azerbaijani step’ and threatened to withdraw from the Council of Europe and its structures.