AZERBAIJAN MAY RECONSIDER RELATIONS WITH PACE

TREND
Feb 2 2009
Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan may reconsider its relations with the Parliamentary Assembly
of the Council of Europe (PACE).

Azerbaijan is dissatisfied with biased PACE assessments of Armenia,
head of the Azerbaijani delegation to the organization Samad Seyidov
said at an Azerbaijani parliamentary meeting on Feb. 2.

"If PACE continues to apply double standards to Azerbaijan, Baku will
have to reconsider its relations with the organization," Seyidov said.

He added that all organizations must assess the processes in member
countries impartially.

"By turning a blind eye to the events in Armenia, PACE will face
problems with Azerbaijan," Seyidov said.

He added that PACE did not acknowledge the political prisoners
in Armenia.

"PACE’s documents on Armenia do not include the word ‘political
prisoner,’ but rather ‘prisoner problems.’ How can the arrested members
of parliament not be considered political prisoners?" Seyidov asked.

Discussions were held on Armenia’s execution of resolutions 1609 and
1620 at the PACE winter session on Jan. 27.

PACE decided to allow its Monitoring Committee to further assess
Armenia’s fulfillment of commitments before the organization until
the spring session in a bid to help the country improve the situation.

Armenia is accused of evading a key obligation and violating human
rights in the country.

Armenian opposition launched mass protests against the
presidential election and Serzh Sarkisyan’s victory in Yerevan on
Feb. 20. Demonstrators clashed with law enforcement agencies on March
1. Dozens of people died and 265 were injured. Two major demands
were put forward to Armenia – to release political prisoners arrested
during the protests and hold impartial investigations into the events.

None of demands have been fulfilled.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress