What is said in draft PACE resolution on powers of Azerbaijan?

In the evening of 24 January in Strasbourg will be adopted a resolution suggesting limiting the powers of the Azerbaijani delegation to the Council of Europe.

The draft of this document has been published on the PACE website. It contains seven paragraphs, which state that by joining the Council of Europe on 25 January 2001, Azerbaijan agreed to comply with the obligations imposed on a PACE member.

"The Assembly regrets that more than 20 years after its accession to the Council of Europe, Azerbaijan has failed to fulfil the main obligations arising from it. Very serious concerns remain about its ability to hold free and fair elections, the separation of powers, the weakness of its legislature vis-à-vis the executive, the independence of the judiciary and respect for human rights, as evidenced by numerous judgements of the European Court of Human Rights and the conclusions of the European Commission for Democracy through Law (Venice Commission)."

The fourth paragraph of the resolution refers to the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh. In particular, it refers to the violation of human rights in Lachin corridor and that PACE "condemned the military operation of the Azerbaijani army in September 2023, which led to the flight of the entire Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh".

The resolution mentions in a separate paragraph the problem of political prisoners and the refusal of the authorities to allow the Monitoring Committee rapporteurs to meet with political prisoners.
"PACE also regrets that it was not invited to observe the upcoming presidential elections, despite Azerbaijan's commitment to extend such an invitation."

The Assembly regards these refusals as a "lack of co-operation" and condemns the authorities' refusal to allow the rapporteur on "Threats to the life and safety of journalists and human rights defenders in Azerbaijan", who has been denied entry to the country three times.

PACE also regrets that the rapporteur of the Committee on Migration, Refugees and Displaced Persons was not invited to Azerbaijan during his familiarisation visit to the region and was thus unable to travel to the Lachin corridor.

"Therefore, the Assembly decides not to approve the credentials of the Azerbaijani delegation."

The credentials of the Azerbaijani delegation can be restored when the above-mentioned reasons are eliminated, it said.