Free elections "the best way" for Azerbaijan to mark ten years in CoE

Holding free and fair parliamentary elections in November would be "the best way" for Azerbaijan to celebrate its tenth anniversary as a member of the Council of Europe next year, Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) President Movlud Cavusoglu said, the structure's web site reported.

Jan. 25, 2010, Azerbaijan became 43rd official member of the CE.

The President, speaking mid-way through a four-day official visit to Azerbaijan scheduled for Apr.13-16, said the aim of his visit was to express support for the continuation of democratic reforms in the country.

"Through our monitoring procedure, the Venice Commission's advice and input from other Council of Europe programmes, we are trying to help the authorities create the best possible conditions for these elections," Cavusoglu added.

Azerbaijan will hold parliamentary elections in fall. The previous elections were held in November 2005. The elections use the majority system in Azerbaijan's 125 constituencies.

"I am persuaded that these conditions can only be put in place through the joint efforts of all political forces, both the majority party and opposition parties, and I am here to facilitate this dialogue," he said. "The Council of Europe can help in this process, but the job itself must be done by the politicians and people of Azerbaijan."

Cavusoglu also stressed the urgency of solving the conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh that began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan since 1992, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and 7 surrounding districts.

"The Assembly has already clearly stated its position on this matter in Resolution 1416, adopted in 2005. We hope to contribute to finding a solution by reconstituting the ad hoc Bureau committee on the conflict, where MPs from both Azerbaijan and Armenia can meet, together with other Assembly members, to move forward on this difficult question," Cavusoglu said.

The president added that he intended to do his best to avoid "double standards" in the way member states were treated: "We have common standards that apply equally to everyone: we are in favour of democracy and human rights."


/Trend/