AZERBAIJANI DELEGATION IN PACE OPPOSES FULFILLMENT OF SOME OBLIGATIONS BEFORE COUNCIL OF EUROPE

Trend News Agency
July 25 2008
Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan, Baku, 24 July/ TrendNews, E. Babayev/ The Azerbaijani
delegation in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe
(PACE) is opposing passing Bill on Alternative Military Service.

"This Bill must be discussed in Milli Majlis. If some MPs insist on
passing this Bill, some terms will be set forth for it to take effect,
that is, the alternative military service will not be introduced
in Azerbaijan unless the occupied lands of Azerbaijan are freed,"
Gultakin Hajiyeva, member of the Azerbaijani delegation to PACE and
MP said to TrendNews on 24 July.

Azerbaijan undertook several obligations in 2001when it was admitted
to the Council of Europe. One of them is to pass a Bill on Alternative
Military Service. At present, the parliament is developing this Bill.

According to Hajiyeva, Azerbaijan has fulfilled all obligations before
the Council of Europe excluding the Bill on Alternative Military
Service. "There are reasonable grounds in this regard. About 20% of the
Azerbaijani lands have been occupied. There is no need to pass this
Bill which creates conditions to deviate from the military service,"
Hajiyeva said.

The conflict between the two countries of the South Caucasus began in
1988 due to Armenian territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan
lost the Nagorno-Karabakh, except of Shusha and Khojali, in December
1991. In 1992-93, Armenian Armed Forces occupied Shusha, Khojali and
Nagorno-Karabakh’s seven surrounding regions. In 1994, Azerbaijan
and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement at which time the active
hostilities ended. The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group ( Russia,
France, and the US) are currently holding peaceful, but fruitless
negotiations.