Head of Azerbaijani delegation: PACE report contains Nagorno-Karabakh issue
The January session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) will approve the report of the co-rapporteurs of the Monitoring Committee on commitments undertaken by Azerbaijan, the head of the Azerbaijani delegation to PACE, Samad Seyidov said on Tuesday, Trend news agency reported.
"We believe this report will be seriously discussed. Most important is the fact that for the first time, the report contains large and detailed section on the Nagorno-Karabakh issue. The section on Nagorno Karabakh is very important to us. It is indicated in the document that military aggression was committed against Azerbaijan. The addition of the Nagorno-Karabakh issue to the agenda of the Council of Europe is an important factor, especially taking into consideration the fact that the document is being prepared not by Azerbaijan, but rather by European co-rapporteurs. This fact doubles its value. We will not be surprised by Armenian attempts to create difficulties and provide commentary on the report. Armenians will attempt to discredit the report due to the fact that it reflects the predatory, criminal policy of Armenia." said Seyidov.
According to him, the report also contains criticism of the Azerbaijani government.
"We have repeatedly stated that we are not afraid of criticism. We listen carefully to it, and if it is constructive and reflects reality, we work on it. What we are against? We are against international organizations using the above-mentioned criticism to exert pressure on Azerbaijan. We are ready to respond to such pressures," said Seyidov.
According to him, an example of such pressure is PACE rapporteur Christoph Strasser's report on political prisoners in Azerbaijan.
"This is full of lies and slander, the report doesn't reflect reality and is being regarded as an attempt against Azerbaijan's integration into the CE. There are attempts to present Strasser's position as a position of the international organization. This is not the case. Our relations are developing in a constructive and normal way. Azerbaijan is willing to work off of constructive criticism," Seyidov added.