Azerbaijani MPs reject PACE members allegations
By Sara Rajabova
Azerbaijani MPs responded to some members of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) who attempted to cast a shadow on the presidential election held in Azerbaijan last October.
Addressing the organization`s winter session, head of the Azerbaijani delegation to PACE and newly re-elected Vice President of the Assembly Samad Seyidov said there were some PACE parliamentarians who rejected democracy in Azerbaijan.
However, everybody should respect the decision that has already been made, Seyidov said.
"Some criticize Azerbaijan and its policy. It is natural; there can be different views on different issues. But I suggest these people watch TV and read newspapers. Children and old people are dying on the front line in Azerbaijan. Why don't they discuss this issue? It is under these circumstances that we are building our democracy. With more than one million refugees and IDPs, we are striving to solve our problems," he said.
Pointing out that Azerbaijan`s presidential election had already been discussed in PACE and the majority of the Assembly`s members praised the process, Seyidov stressed the importance of respecting PACE's general decision.
He also praised the efforts of former President of PACE Jean-Claude Mignon to find a peaceful solution to the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, adding that thanks to Mignon's personal initiative, negotiations between Azerbaijani and Armenian delegations on the dispute had been restored.
The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict emerged in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Since a lengthy war in the early 1990s that displaced over one million Azerbaijanis, Armenian armed forces have occupied over 20 percent of Azerbaijan's internationally recognized territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent regions.
Member of the Azerbaijani delegation Rafael Huseynov also urged European parliamentarians to pay attention to some aspects of the October 9 presidential election.
In response to Swedish MP Marietta Purbach-Land`s allegations, Huseynov said the presidential election was free, fair, and democratic.
"If about 85 percent of the population want to see Ilham Aliyev as President, it is an expression of people`s will and their confidence in the Head of State," Huseynov said.
PACE members welcomed the speech of the Azerbaijani MP, and several European parliamentarians expressed their regret at the biased position of their colleagues against Azerbaijan.
They also hailed Azerbaijan`s tolerance towards the representatives of minorities, including Russians, Jews, and Georgians, who, they said, had co-existed in peace and friendship in the country for centuries.
Member of the Chamber of Deputies of Luxembourg Anne Brasseur was elected as the new PACE chairman with 165 votes.
After the election, Brasseur said relations with the Azerbaijani delegation are still good, and she had worked well with the Azerbaijani delegation to this day.
"I believe that, together with the Azerbaijani delegation, especially in conjunction with Azerbaijan's chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers of CE, we will move forward," Brasseur said.