Azer Tag, Azerbaijan State Info Agency
Sept 16 2004
PRESTIGE OF AZERBAIJAN ENHANCED IN COE
[September 16, 2004, 18:30:23]
During its regular session on September 15, the PACE Monitoring
Committee discussed among others the issue pertaining the honoring
by Azerbaijan and Armenia their obligation and commitment to COE.
Member of the Milli Majlis permanent Commission to the PACE, Bakhtiyar
Aliyev briefed AzerTAj reporter on the meeting as follows:
Co-rapporteurs on Azerbaijan Andreas Gross and Andrea Herkel noted in
the report that a great job has been done and important changes have
taken place in Azerbaijan lately. Informing the Committee members
on their meetings with President Ilham Aliyev, the co-rapporteurs
stressed the Head of State had started large-scale reforms whose
positive results are displayed in all spheres. The purposeful activity
of the Azerbaijan President has been reflected as a very positive
fact both in the report and the draft resolution.
Besides, they positively valued the solving the so-called “problem
of political prisoners” noting in particular that a lot of prisoners
whose names were included in the list once submitted to the Council
of Europe, had been released by the recent Presidential Decree.
Head of the Azerbaijani delegation Samad Seyidov and deputy Asim
Mollazadeh advanced amendments to the draft resolution, which were
accepted by the co-rapporteurs and the Committee members.
As a member of the Committee I made things clear about some ideas of
alleged use of refugees’ hard situation for political purposes letting
them know about the President’s care of over one million refugees –
the work being done to improve their living conditions
As a member of the Commission for Pardoning Affairs under the
President I informed of the pardoning the members of the special
police detachment arrested for coup attempt.
The Commission members also touched upon the corruption issue. I
advised in this connection that Azerbaijan had ratified two COE
Conventions; on the base of the Presidential Decree a special
commission on fighting corruption has been founded, and the
corresponding law passed by the country’s parliament.
The problem of Nagorno-Karabakh was reflected in the report on honoring
by Armenia the commitment and obligations to COE. The co-rapporteurs
stated that they completely support the idea of unconditional and
immediate liberation of 7 Azerbaijan’s regions from the Armenian
occupation.
During the debates over the draft resolution, the Azerbaijani deputies
made a strong protest against mentioning of Nagorno-Karabakh in the
report as a “republic”. The protest has been accepted and the world
“republic” replaced with “region”. Our deputies managed to introduce
a number of other amendments as well.
Overall, the PACE Monitoring Committee has demonstrated the stance,
which meets the interests of Azerbaijan, and this fact may be
considered as gradual enhancement of the country’s image in the
Council of Europe, and success of the Azerbaijani diplomacy.