Ilham Aliyev on lifting the entry ban for PACE members
Azerbaijan will lift the entry ban for PACE (Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe) members once the powers of Azerbaijan’s delegation are restored within the organization, President Ilham Aliyev stated on Friday in response to questions from the moderator at the International Forum in Cernobbio, Italy.
"Last year, we fully restored our sovereignty. Thus, in September of last year, separatism on Azerbaijani territory was completely eradicated. We did nothing different from what Ukraine is trying to do. Ukraine unsuccessfully attempts to restore its sovereignty despite substantial Western support. We restored our sovereignty ourselves, without any external help. Literally a few months later, PACE decided to strip our delegation of its voting rights. In other words, sanctions were imposed on us because we restored our sovereignty," Aliyev said.
He noted that Azerbaijan's decision to declare PACE members who voted to strip the Azerbaijani delegation of its powers as persona non grata was a proportionate response. "Our decision was a reaction. If they change their decision and restore our rights, this embargo will be lifted. … Our delegation should return, and then the ban will be lifted," Aliyev added.
On January 24 this year, during its winter session, PACE did not approve the powers of the Azerbaijani delegation for one year due to "non-fulfillment of key obligations" to the Council of Europe, as well as the failure to invite assembly observers to the extraordinary presidential elections on February 7. The decision was supported by 76 members, with 10 voting against and 4 abstaining. PACE made this decision due to widespread human rights violations and breaches of democratic norms, not because Azerbaijan restored its territorial integrity.
Politics
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Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has not ruled out the possibility of Baku playing a role in resolving the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. He made this statement on Friday while answering questions from the moderator at the International Forum in Cernobbio, Italy. "Hypothetically speaking, it is quite possible. Considering that we, along with Russia and Ukraine, were part of the USSR for 70 years, we maintain extensive multilateral ties with them, both through personal contacts and in the political sphere," said Aliyev. According to him, Azerbaijan has "very good relations" with both Ukraine and Russia.
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Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has expressed the country’s firm disagreement with any changes to borders in the region, according to Iranian media. "Regional peace, security, and stability are not merely preferences but the foundation of our national security," Araghchi wrote on his “X” account. "Any threat to the territorial integrity of our neighbors from the North, South, East, or West, or any change in borders, is absolutely unacceptable and is a red line for Iran," he stated, without specifying which threat he was referring to or to whom.
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