SAMAD SEYIDOV: THE PROBLEM OF POLITICAL PRISONERS IS ARTIFICIALLY EXAGGERATED TO DAMAGE AZERBAIJAN’S IMAGE

Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
April 24 2007

video 1.2M

Members of Azerbaijani delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of
the Council of Europe held a press conference on the results of the
spring session, APA reports.

Samad Seyidov, head of the delegation said the report on honoring
of obligations and commitments by Azerbaijan was debated at the
PACE session.

He said the report normally analyzed the processes ongoing in
Azerbaijan. He, however, noted there were some critical momentums in
the report, which he sees no need to worry about.

Mr.Seyidov also said the delegation members expressed position on
some momentums in the report which he said are not true in fact.

The delegation head stressed that the report affirmed Nagorno-Karabakh
as Azerbaijani territory. But, Armenian delegation made considerable
efforts to change this point.

"But Azerbaijani delegation prevented this. It means that 46 out of
47 member states support Azerbaijan’s position," he said.

Seyidov noted that Azerbaijan has honored the majority of the
obligations.

Commenting on co-rapporteur Andres Herkel’s statement on political
prisoners in Azerbaijan, Seyidov said the co-raaporteur’s opinion
should not be regarded as the position of the Council of Europe.

"The problem of political prisoners is deliberately exaggerated to
damage Azerbaijan’s image. It can not concern Azerbaijan," he said.

Member of the delegation Ali Huseynov considers that the names of
persons about whom investigation is being carried out, should not be
included into the report.

"I consider that this biased tendency should be removed in the
following processes," he said.

Gultekin Hajiyeva said that only three political prisoners were
mentioned in the documents of the Council of Europe – Elchin
Amiraslanov, Arif Kazimov and Safa Poladov.