Aliyev says Azerbaijan considered leaving Council of Europe over PACE dispute

Azerbaijan seriously considered withdrawing from the Council of Europe after its delegation was stripped of voting rights in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, President Ilham Aliyev said.

Aliyev said the decision was not linked to human rights concerns but was, in his view, punishment for Azerbaijan restoring its territorial sovereignty.

He said Baku had put the idea of leaving the Council of Europe on hold after Secretary General Alain Berset asked Azerbaijan to seek a way to improve relations.

However, Aliyev said there had been no progress since then and that PACE continued to make demands Azerbaijan could not accept.

He said the Azerbaijani delegation would return to PACE only after its voting rights were fully restored.

Aliyev also said Azerbaijan did not recognise decisions by judges of the European Court of Human Rights elected without the participation of the Azerbaijani delegation.

N. Tebrizli