Baku/23.09.16/Turan: "The EP’s delegation regrets that for one year no dialogue took place between the European Parliament and Milli Majlis. Both sides hope moves to restore normal dialogue can be undertaken expeditiously and stand ready to assist in facilitating the Milli Majlis engagement in Euronest Parliamentary Assembly”, said Sajjad Karim (ECR, UK) and Samad Seyidov (Azerbaijan), the Co-Chairs of the EU - Azerbaijan Parliamentary Cooperation Committee (PCC) after its meeting on Wednesday in Baku.
A delegation of six MEPs, led by Sajjad Karim, met their counterparts from the Azerbaijani Parliament (Milli Majlis) on 21 September in Baku in the format of the EU - Azerbaijan Parliamentary Cooperation Committee in order to restore and facilitate future dialogue. The PCC had not met since 2012.
In addition to Mr. Karim, EP’s delegation was composed of Heidi Hautala (Greens, FI), Alberto Cirio (EPP, IT), Andrejs Mamikins (S&D, LV), Ramona Manescu (EPP, RO) and Iveta Grigule (ALDE, LV).
After the meeting Mr. Karim and Mr. Seyidov issued a statement welcoming “open, critical and constructive expression of viewpoint by President Aliyev and noting 10 September 2015 EP resolution on Azerbaijan and Milli Majlis resolution dated 14 September 2015 and their consequences for the relations between the European Parliament and Milli Majlis”.
“The delegation of the European Parliament regrets that for one year no dialogue took place between the European Parliament and Milli Majlis. Both sides hope moves to restore normal dialogue can be undertaken expeditiously”, the statement says.
The Co-Chairs also “call upon Euronest to review and reform their procedures to facilitate the Milli Majlis engagement on the basis of mutual respect, equality and understanding. They stand ready to assist to this end”.
In this context Mrs. Heidi Hautala and Mr. Victor Dolidze (Georgia), the co-chairs of the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly issued a statement stressing that they “look forward to receiving a signal of re-engagement from our Azerbaijani Partners” before 6 October, when Azerbaijan decision to withdraw from Euronest is supposed to enter into force. “We would be delighted to welcome the representative of the Milli Majlis at the forthcoming meeting of the Bureau of the Euronest PA to be held on 26 October next in Strasbourg”, they added.—0--
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