What Consequences Could Sweden's Delegation Decision Have for Azerbaijan?

The President of the Swedish delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Markus Wiechel, expressed pride that all members of his delegation voted in favor of the decision to reject the powers of the Azerbaijani delegation at the PACE.

In a conversation with Armenpress, the parliamentarian commented on the statement made by the Azerbaijani Foreign Minister that members of PACE who voted against the Azerbaijani delegation would be considered undesirable persons (persona non grata) in Azerbaijan.

Wiechel noted that he, along with his five colleagues, found themselves on the list of undesirable persons in Azerbaijan (Beatrice Timgren, Gustaf Gjotberg, Christopher Lindberg, Azadeh Rohan, and Adnan Dibra). “Our entire delegation voted in the same way, which, of course, makes me both happy and proud as the head of the delegation,” he emphasized.

Describing the decision made by Baku, Wiechel pointed out that it illustrates why the Azerbaijani delegation has been deprived of the right to vote. “The authoritarian regime in Azerbaijan lacks faith in some of the fundamental values of the Council of Europe. It is clear that each member country must adhere to certain fundamental principles, especially concerning democracy and freedom of speech,” the parliamentarian highlighted.

Referring to the question of what consequences this decision could have for Azerbaijan, Markus Wiechel stated: “I truly believe that it will complicate the support from other delegations in the future, so it will simply make their job harder.”