SAMAD SEYIDOV: AZERBAIJAN HAS ALMOST FULLY IMPLEMENTED COUNCIL OF EUROPE COMMITMENTS

Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
July 3 2007

"Azerbaijan has almost fully implemented commitments vis-a-vis the
Council of Europe," head of Azerbaijani parliamentary delegation to
the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) Samad Seyidov
told the APA.

Commenting on the visit of Ago monitoring group from the Committee
of Ministers of Council of Europe to Baku Samad Seyidov linked it
with investigating Azerbaijan’s fulfilling commitments vis-a-vis the
Council of Europe.

Permanent Swedish representative to the Council of Europe Per Sjogren
leads the group. The group includes permanent ambassadors Eberhard
Kolsch (Germany), Bruno Guen (France), Peteris Elferts (Latvia),
Stellan Stolan (Romania) and Alexander Alekseyev (Russia). They
will be accompanied by CE secretariat officials Puarel, Aarnio-Lvoff
and Cheliento.

The current state of the relations of Azerbaijan with the Council of
Europe, implementation of the commitments, independence of courts,
activity of local authorities, freedom of media and the Nagorno
Karabakh problem will mainly be debated during the meetings.

Ago group is expected to meet Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, head
of President’s Administration Ramiz Mehdiyev, speaker of Azerbaijani
Parliament Ogtay Asadov, Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov, chairman
of Central Election Commission (CEC) Mazahir Panahov, chief of
Azerbaijan National Television and Radio Council Nushirevan Meherremli
in the framework of their visit to Azerbaijan.

Justice Minister of the group is expected to participate in the
roundtable on activity of judicial system with the participation of
Prosecutor General, chiefs of Constitutional Court, Supreme Court,
Bar and Commissioner for Human Rights.

Samad Seyidov said that Azerbaijan has not fulfilled several
commitments described on document #222 of Council of Europe. The
parliamentarian said that one of the unfulfilled commitments is the
peaceful solution of Nagorno Karabakh conflict, and adoption of draft
law on alternative service.

Though Azerbaijan is neither in the condition of war, nor peace, it
submitted a draft on alternative service to Council of Europe. The
issue regarding this commitment will be solved after the reference
of the experts of the organization," he said.

Mr.Seyidov also commented on Azerbaijan’s not joining several
conventions of Council of Europe. He stated that any new convention
is brought to the agenda at each session of PACE and the states are
invited to sign this document.

"Some of the states conclude these conventions, some of them not.

This is the issue concerning the internal work, internal interests of
the countries, the country is not obliged to adopt this commitment,"
he said.