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By Trend

Azerbaijan is ready for a constructive dialogue and cooperation with the institutions of the Council of Europe (CE), Speaker of the Azerbaijani parliament Ogtay Asadov said.

Asadov made the remark in Strasbourg at a conference of the heads of parliaments of the CE member-states, partner countries and observers, Trend reports on Oct. 25.

While delivering a speech in connection with the theme of the conference “Common European House: the upcoming 70 years” and referring to the relations between Azerbaijan and the Council of Europe, Asadov stressed that Azerbaijan shares the principles and values ​​of the Council of Europe in the field of human rights and democracy.

The speaker of the Azerbaijani parliament also emphasized that the targeted measures are being taken under the president’s leadership for their implementation in the country.

Asadov stressed that Azerbaijan is ready for a constructive dialogue and cooperation with the CE institutions, including the Parliamentary Assembly and emphasized that consistent measures are being taken in the country to implement the CE Action Plan for Azerbaijan, covering 2018-2019.

“Today, besides the problems that appeared on the continent 70 years ago and united it, new ones, namely, terrorism, illegal migration, religious intolerance and extremism, xenophobia, Islamophobia, ethnic separatism, violation of state sovereignty, have appeared,” said the speaker.

"I think that the principle of the indivisibility of general security must be taken as the basis in the CE future activity and without waiting for more difficulties, a unified approach to the security problems that pose threats to the system of democratic values should be formed for the democratic development,” Asadov said.

“In particular, I mean the need to suppress the attempts to violate state sovereignty and territorial integrity of countries, ethnic separatism, militant nationalism,” speaker of the Azerbaijani parliament added. “The Azerbaijani MPs have repeatedly proposed this formulation of the issue at various meetings.”

“The reason is clear,” Asadov said. “For more than 25 years, 20 percent of Azerbaijani territories, that is, the Nagorno-Karabakh region and the seven adjacent districts, have been occupied by the Armenian armed forces.”

“The ethnic cleansing, as well as genocide were committed in the occupied zone, as well as on Armenia’s territory,” speaker of the Azerbaijani parliament said. “More than one million Azerbaijanis were expelled from their native lands. Their fundamental rights and fundamental freedoms enshrined in the European Convention on Human Rights were grossly violated.”

“There are similar problems in a number of other European countries,” Asadov said. “The political and humanitarian consequences of these conflicts, as well as constant threat of their inflaming, nullify collective efforts to form strong, democratic and inclusive societies.”

“In its appeals Azerbaijan always adheres to the point of view that encroachments on countries’ security are encroachments on democracy and the rule of law,” speaker of the Azerbaijani parliament said. “Azerbaijan tried to bring this idea to the European colleagues to clarify one point. If encroachments are made on sovereignty and territorial integrity of one of the members of the Council of Europe, seeking to achieve great unity among all participants of the European structure, this must be regarded as an encroachment on the entire European community and its common values.”

Chairperson of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) Liliane Maury Pasquier and CE Secretary General Maria Paichinovich-Burich delivered speeches at the conference in PACE, in which the heads of parliaments of 60 countries participated.

Then the conference continued with debates.

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