Azerbaijan Leaves PACE in Protest

The Azerbaijani delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) made a statement during the assembly's session on January 24. The Azerbaijani delegation has decided to suspend its cooperation and presence in PACE until further notice.

“The Republic of Azerbaijan is a proud, independent, sovereign, democratic, and multicultural country. Democracy is our conscious choice; since gaining independence in 1991, we have made significant progress in promoting human rights and the rule of law in Azerbaijan,” stated the delegation.

In its announcement, the Azerbaijani side did not forget to mention Armenia, accusing it of “ethnic cleansing.”

“Unfortunately, PACE is being used as a platform to attack certain member countries. The fundamental principles of PACE are manipulated by certain biased groups to advance their narrow interests. Political corruption, discrimination, ethnic and religious hatred, double standards, arrogance, and chauvinism have become the prevailing practices in PACE,” they said.

“We consider the initiative to challenge the powers of the Azerbaijani delegation as part of this vicious campaign. We also view this initiative as a deliberate and unacceptable attempt to interfere in the electoral processes occurring in Azerbaijan and a vivid example of malicious actions that disrupt the functioning of democratic institutions in our country,” they added. “No one in the world, including those sitting in this hall, can speak to Azerbaijan in the language of threats and blackmail. This organization has never exhibited such disgraceful behavior in its history. Under the unbearable atmosphere of racism, Azerbaijanophobia, and Islamophobia formed in PACE, the Azerbaijani delegation has decided to suspend its cooperation and presence in PACE until further notice.”

Following the reading of the statement, the delegation left the hall.