Baku-CE ties could go sour over 'political prisoners'
The Azerbaijani government has delivered a harsh response to the
possibility of appointing a special rapporteur of the Parliamentary
Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) on "political prisoners",
in an indication that its cooperation and constructive dialog with
the group could be jeopardized if the CE goes ahead with the
appointment in defiance of Baku.
The issue was discussed at a meeting of the PACE body in charge of tracking down countries' international commitments in Paris on December 19. The co-rapporteur on Azerbaijan Andres Herkel said signatures were being collected in the Monitoring Committee to approve the measure.
Head of the Azerbaijani delegation at PACE, Samad Seyidov, said he saw no need for the appointment of a special rapporteur, implying that there were no "political prisoners" in Azerbaijan.
"The issue has been closed and the rapporteur's activity left behind. The [alleged] presence of political prisoners in the country is an artificially created problem," he told a local news agency.
Seyidov emphasized that the work of any given rapporteur entails cooperating with the government.
"During the appointment of a rapporteur on any issue, the position of the country in question should be taken into account. If the country is against the appointment of a rapporteur and does not state its readiness to work with him, his activity cannot be effective," he said.
The Azerbaijani representative at the PACE said the appointment of a rapporteur was not a matter whose solution "is based on the opinion of one person".
"Therefore, appointing a rapporteur on political prisoners is unrealistic, and discussions held to that end are more of a hullaballoo," he said, adding that the current taskforce of officials, lawmakers and NGO representatives dealing with the issue would continue its work.
Azerbaijan became a CE member state in 2001. Upon admission to the organization, the government assumed certain obligations, including the solution of the political prisoners issue. When the mandate of then special rapporteur expired in 2005, PACE did not appoint a successor.
Progress in Azerbaijan's compliance with its obligations is monitored by the assembly co- rapporteurs Andres Herkel and Evguenia Jivkova.
The issue was discussed at a meeting of the PACE body in charge of tracking down countries' international commitments in Paris on December 19. The co-rapporteur on Azerbaijan Andres Herkel said signatures were being collected in the Monitoring Committee to approve the measure.
Head of the Azerbaijani delegation at PACE, Samad Seyidov, said he saw no need for the appointment of a special rapporteur, implying that there were no "political prisoners" in Azerbaijan.
"The issue has been closed and the rapporteur's activity left behind. The [alleged] presence of political prisoners in the country is an artificially created problem," he told a local news agency.
Seyidov emphasized that the work of any given rapporteur entails cooperating with the government.
"During the appointment of a rapporteur on any issue, the position of the country in question should be taken into account. If the country is against the appointment of a rapporteur and does not state its readiness to work with him, his activity cannot be effective," he said.
The Azerbaijani representative at the PACE said the appointment of a rapporteur was not a matter whose solution "is based on the opinion of one person".
"Therefore, appointing a rapporteur on political prisoners is unrealistic, and discussions held to that end are more of a hullaballoo," he said, adding that the current taskforce of officials, lawmakers and NGO representatives dealing with the issue would continue its work.
Azerbaijan became a CE member state in 2001. Upon admission to the organization, the government assumed certain obligations, including the solution of the political prisoners issue. When the mandate of then special rapporteur expired in 2005, PACE did not appoint a successor.
Progress in Azerbaijan's compliance with its obligations is monitored by the assembly co- rapporteurs Andres Herkel and Evguenia Jivkova.
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