Can the mandate of the new delegation of the Milli Majlis be confirmed at PACE?

Last week, during a visit to Italy, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev spoke about the improvement of his country's strained relations with the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE). He mentioned that the ban on certain PACE members visiting Azerbaijan would be lifted once the country's delegation returns to the organization: "If they change their decisions and restore our rights, then this so-called embargo will also be lifted."

Earlier, the Azerbaijani Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) announced that deputies who voted against the Azerbaijani delegation at PACE had been placed on a list of undesirable persons. In response, PACE President Theodoros Rousopoulos stated that this would only complicate Azerbaijan's position in the organization: "Member states have committed to respecting democratic standards. Blacklisting those who voted according to their conscience can only have negative consequences."

Earlier this year, the mandate of Azerbaijan's delegation to PACE was not confirmed. The reasons cited included Azerbaijan's failure to meet its human rights obligations and other commitments, as well as a lack of interest in cooperation. In response, Azerbaijan rejected these criticisms and announced the suspension of its activities in the organization.

On September 1, snap parliamentary elections were held in Azerbaijan. Although the final protocols for these elections, which were not observed by PACE, have not yet been confirmed, according to preliminary results from the Central Election Commission, leading candidates in constituencies have been identified. In this context, can the mandate of the Azerbaijani delegation to PACE, consisting of members from the new parliament, be restored? The autumn session of the organization is approaching.

So far, there has been no official statement from the PACE leadership regarding this issue. However, some deputies within the organization have voiced critical opinions about the elections.

Azerbaijani officials attribute the worsening of relations with the organization to the context of the country's restoration of its territorial integrity. Fazil Mustafa, a member of the 6th convocation of the Milli Majlis, told "Turan" that after Azerbaijan liberated its lands from occupation in recent years, pro-Armenian forces around the world became quite distressed: "They envisioned imposing certain sanctions on Azerbaijan, including suspending the activities of the delegation at PACE."

According to Mustafa, in response, Azerbaijan banned these individuals from entering the country: "This was a retaliatory move. Suspending the activities of the Azerbaijani delegation was entirely unjustified. If it were up to that, this measure would have been applied to members of Armenia, the occupying state, for many years. However, after Azerbaijan liberated its territories, they carried this out under various pretexts."

He emphasizes that Azerbaijan's condition is clear and precise: "You must reinstate the Azerbaijani delegation and recognize its rights. If you don't, these people will not be allowed to visit Azerbaijan. PACE must correct its mistake, and only then can Azerbaijan make adjustments to its actions."

Political commentator Nəsimi Məmmədli has a somewhat different perspective on the issue. He told "Azadlıq Radio" that the factors leading to Azerbaijan's exclusion from PACE are mainly related to human rights and freedoms in the country: "There is also an approach based on relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia. However, the main reason is the crisis concerning human rights and freedoms in Azerbaijan. Particularly, the pressures on civil society and media representatives, as well as the presence of over 300 political prisoners in the country, have led to this situation."

According to the expert, relations will not normalize as long as Azerbaijan fails to honor its commitments to PACE: "The recent elections in Azerbaijan also failed to meet any democratic standards, as reflected in the OSCE's assessment. In such a situation, the confirmation of the mandate is only possible due to political considerations. While governments may cooperate with each other, international organizations are compelled to prioritize their values and commitments."

Azerbaijan has been a member of the Council of Europe since 2001. At that time, Azerbaijan undertook obligations related to human rights and other issues before the organization. The country is still under PACE monitoring.