Dear Minister, Dear Speaker, Ladies and Gentlemen,
First of all, I would like to congratulate Azerbaijan on taking over the chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers of our Organisation. This comes at one of the most challenging moments, both for the Council of Europe and its member states. I refer in particular, but not only, to the situation in Ukraine, which was debated at some length in the April part Session of the Assembly. The Assembly will certainly return to this following the Presidential and local elections taking place next Sunday (25 May) in Ukraine.
Respect for the territorial integrity of our member states is a fundamental principle of our Organisation and it is one that the Assembly has upheld not only with regard to Ukraine but also in relation to Azerbaijan. In this respect it is important that all Council of Europe bodies and institutions stay united around the values and standards of our organisation.
Ukraine and Azerbaijan are not the only countries whose territorial integrity is undermined today. The "frozen conflicts" that exist in Europe represent a major threat to our values and principles, as well as to the well-being of the populations concerned.
In relation to the conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh, the Assembly stated quite clearly its principled position in support of the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, in Resolution 1416(2005)[1].
In this context, let me stress that both Armenia and Azerbaijan committed themselves upon their accession to the Council of Europe, to use only peaceful means for settling the conflict. The Assembly stands ready to support this process by all means at its disposal.
Dear Speaker, Dear Minister,
I would like to assure you that you can count on our support in the implementation of the chairmanship priorities. Many of these – inter alia, combating corruption, including manipulation of sports results, consolidating cultural diversity, combating discrimination and intolerance, supporting intercultural dialogue and its religious dimension, as well as supporting political dialogue and engagement with the neighbouring regions – fall also within the scope of my priorities as President of the Assembly.
As a former rapporteur, I am particularly glad that we are going to adopt today our opinion on the draft Council of Europe Convention on the manipulation of sports competitions, and in my official contacts I will certainly promote this international instrument. As a former rapporteur on the religious dimension of inter-cultural dialogue I will also follow closely the Chairmanship's activities in this field.
Ladies and Gentlemen, dear colleagues,
It is only through the principles of democracy, human rights and the rule of law that we can strengthen our Organisation and effectively address the challenges people in Europe have to face. By chairing the Committee of Ministers, member states should translate their commitment to values into action and champion the cause of Human Rights and Democracy. This is a huge responsibility: successful leaders should first of all lead by example, addressing in an open and constructive manner the most pressing human rights issues at home.
In this context, I appeal to you, Mr Minister and Mr Speaker, to accelerate reforms, especially in the field of freedom of expression, freedom of association, independence of the judiciary, political pluralism, and the fight against corruption.
On Monday, I spoke with our Human Rights Commissioner about some of the main human rights challenges facing Azerbaijan. I am afraid that I have to agree with him that, since the publication of his last report on Azerbaijan in August 2013, there has been little progress in the implementation of his recommendations. In certain areas, such as freedom of expression, freedom of association, and freedom of assembly the situation appears to have deteriorated and this has to be addressed urgently.
Independence and impartiality of the judiciary is a matter of utmost importance, and the Council of Europe, together with other international organisations, have expressed on numerous occasions concerns about the fairness of trials, including at the pre-trial stage. Furthermore, opposition figures, journalists who present dissenting opinions, bloggers and civil society activists are all too often, according to many credible sources, subjected to intimidation and repression.
This is a more than worrying state of affairs for a member state taking up the Chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers. These were all issues I was able to raise in a frank and open way with President Aliyev in discussions yesterday.
In this context I would like to mention that a couple of weeks ago, I asked to visit a number of persons in detention, including Mr Ilgar Mammadov[2], Director of the Council of Europe School of Political Studies in Baku. This was also an issue I raised with President Aliyev yesterday, and he agreed that I could, in the near future, visit these persons in detention. I will insist on this, if their detention continues.
The reason I say "if their detention continues" is that yesterday the European Court of Human Rights handed down a judgment in the case of Mr Mammadov, finding that his arrest and extended detention pending trial was in violation of the Convention. The judges concluded that the actual purpose of his detention had been "to silence or punish". I hope this will lead to him now being freed from detention.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Problems do not go away by ignoring them; therefore, it is important to speak about problematic issues and find solutions together. We have the necessary tools at our disposal: I do hope that the authorities will urgently address these problems, in a constructive fashion within the framework of the Co-operation Action Plan with the Council of Europe.
Ladies and Gentlemen, dear colleagues,
To conclude, allow me to thank the Azerbaijani Parliament and the Azerbaijani authorities for hosting the meetings of the Bureau and of the Standing Committee in Baku. Your hospitality is much appreciated.
At the same time, I must say that I am deeply concerned by the decision of the Azerbaijani authorities to cancel the visa of one of our members, Mr René Rouquet, Vice-President of the Assembly and President of the French delegation. Under the General Agreement on Privileges and Immunities, all Council of Europe member States committed themselves to guarantee freedom of movement for members of the Assembly.
The cancellation of Mr Rouquet's visa constitutes a clear violation of the General Agreement on Privileges and Immunities and this is unacceptable. Therefore, in accordance with our established practice, the Bureau decided yesterday not to hold further Committee meetings in Azerbaijan for the next two years. This is an unfortunate development, but we have to stick to our rules.
Notwithstanding this decision we will continue close and constructive collaboration with the Azerbaijani authorities in the coming months. As I said in my inaugural address in January, I believe in the value of dialogue and the Council of Europe is an ideal platform for finding solutions together, even for the most problematic issues.
Two weeks ago, in Vienna, I had the opportunity of holding an intensive exchange of views about the situation in Azerbaijan with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Mammadyarov, and last Friday I had a long conversation with the leader of the Azeri delegation, Mr Samad Seydov with whom personal relations are excellent. I am sure that on the basis of these discussions we can move on and I am looking forward to continuing our discussions today in Baku as well as in Strasbourg.
And now, dear colleagues, let us proceed with the first item on our agenda, that is, the exchange of views with Mr Elmar Mammadyarov, Chairman of the Committee of Ministers and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan.