Azeri opposition leaders refuse to meet PACE reps
BAKU – The leaders of Azerbaijani opposition Musavat and Popular Front parties have refused to meet with the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe co-rapporteurs visiting Baku, Musavat official Arif Hajily has said.
Hajily said the refusal was due to what is termed as PACE’s biased stance put forward both before and after Azerbaijan’s parliamentary elections held last November.
"The Azerbaijani opposition is therefore firm not to cooperate with relevant international organizations," Hajily added.
PACE avoided terse criticism in its feedback on the election, which the opposition claimed was rigged.
During their three-day visit to the country which began Tuesday, the PACE rapporteurs, Joseph Debono Grech and Pedro Agramunt, will monitor Azerbaijan’s compliance with its international commitments. They are scheduled to hold talks with the president, the parliament speaker, the ministers of justice and national security, the prosecutor general and the Central Electoral Commission chairman. Meetings are also expected with representatives of political parties and diplomats. In Sumgayit, the co-rapporteurs will meet representatives of the local authorities.
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