New co-rapporteur of PACE Monitoring Committee on Azerbaijan: I hope my activity as co-rapporteur to be fruitful

What are your impressions on your appointment as co-reporter?

I am glad with my appointment to the post of co-rapporteur of PACE Monitoring Committee. I was appointed co-rapporteur on Azerbaijan by majority of votes of a political group of European People's Party. It is time for me to start my activity as co-chairman. I have already asked to send me the files and reports on Azerbaijan for familiarization. I will read them during the summer months and begin to work in August.

What do you know about Azerbaijan? Have you ever been to this country?

Of course. I visited Azerbaijan several times. First, I was in Azerbaijan 8-9 years ago. During one of our visits, we visited 12 villages for refugees and internally displaced people who were living in tents. Then their situation was deplorable. It was a painful consequence of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. I saw these consequences with my own eyes. I visited Azerbaijan two or three times as a member of the observer mission in Azerbaijani ongoing elections. I am familiar with Azerbaijan a little. I know that Azerbaijan has passed a long way of development after independence.

How do you see your future activity as co-rapporteur?

I will continue to work objectively. I know other co-rapporteur on Azerbaijan Joseph Debono Grech very well. As an old member of PACE, he has great experience. To assist the reforms started in Azerbaijan and the implementation of values encouraged by the Council of Europe meets our interests. I have experience as co-rapporteur of the Monitoring Committee of Monaco. Of course, this is not the same thing. But this experience will be useful in future work. I hope that my work as co-rapporteur will be useful to protect values supported by the Council of Europe and better understand and monitor the situation in Azerbaijan.

How do you assess the pre-election situation in Azerbaijan?

I will come to Azerbaijan both as a part of the staff consisting of 30 members of the observation mission for the parliamentary elections, headed by the chairman of the group of representatives from Belgium, Paul Wille, and as a part of the observation mission of five people, members of political groups organized by the PACE (European People's Party, European Liberals and Democrats, European democrats and the political left party of the United Europe) represented in this organization. I cant say anything about the exact date. But I think that I will come to Azerbaijan a month before the parliamentary elections as a part of the electoral mission. I am very interested in issues relating to the Azerbaijani government, political parties, opposition and the media. I hope that I will have the opportunity to become familiar with the situation in Azerbaijan and receive objective information.


/Trend/