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AGO Group: â€œWe want to meet with all interested parties in connection with freedom of speech in Azerbaijanâ€

30 March 2008 10:36 (UTC +04:00)

-AGO Monitoring Group of the Council of Europe Committee of Ministers on Azerbaijan and Armenia will visit Azerbaijan on April 2-5. What issues will be discussed during the visit?
-As you know, the group includes 13 countries, but the representatives of 9 countries will visit Azerbaijan. The group will concern itself with the state of commitments undertaken and not yet completely fulfilled by Azerbaijan. The group will have meetings with officials, representatives of civil society, media and political forces within two days. The meetings will focus on the freedom of media and speech. You know that our recent visit mainly focused on the independence and function of judicial system. AGO Group has decided to pay attention to the state of media during this visit. The state of media will be discussed both at the meetings with professional media representatives and the representatives of government agencies. We will also meet with the leaders of some opposition parties. Unfortunately, we will not be able to meet with all parties. But we will have meetings with the representatives of main political forces. The main theme of discussion will be preparation for the forthcoming presidential elections. The group will discuss this issue with officials and representatives of civil society. Presidential election is one of the main issues followed by the Council of Europe and the organization is closely observing all the process related to the elections. In this context, there are a number of issues to be discussed. For example, we will also discuss amendments to the Electoral Code, its implementation after amendments, activities to be carried out for equal pre-election campaign of all the candidates, equal use of media and free election campaign of the representatives of opposition. Of course, freedom of assembly will be one of the issues on the agenda. Generally, development of democratic institutions in Azerbaijan will be discussed with all parties. As you know, Thomas Hammarberg, CE Commissioner for Human Rights has recently made a report on Azerbaijan in the Committee of Ministers. All the points raised by the commissioner will be raised once more by AGO Group.
-How do you assess the state of freedom of media in Azerbaijan?
-Secretary General of the Council of Europe has expressed his concern over this issue. AGO Group during the high-level meetings in Baku in June also underlined the importance of ensuring the freedom of speech and media and took a stance on the state of the imprisoned journalists. The problem still exists and the case of some journalists and Eynulla Fatullayev, who have recently started hunger strike, will be discussed during the visit. I think that similar messages will also be delivered to the country leadership during the visit. AGO Group is purposing to meet with all parts concerned about the freedom of speech, both media representatives and government officials. Chairman of the National Broadcasting Council concerned with the electronic mass media will also take part at the round table to be organized in the foreign ministry of Azerbaijan. We are expected to meet other officials at the round table, to exchange opinions and to review the situation. We will focus on the media legislation and its conformity to the European standards as well. As you know, the Council of Europe examined the broadcasting legislation in Azerbaijan last year and AGO Group has successively followed this issue. This legislative act is very important for the Council of Europe, because just this document is regulating the activity of the electronic media. Experts of the Council of Europe appeared with several advises related to this bill and AGO Group is focusing the implementation of these advises. Naturally, this issue will also be discussed at the round table.
- You will visit Armenia before arriving in Azerbaijan. How does the Council of Europe react to the post-election developments in Armenia?
- It is AGO Groupâ€™s first visit to Armenia after the presidential elections and there are many issues in the country to be discussed in the context of post-election events. We are scheduled to mostly discuss the post-election developments, including declaration of state of emergency and arrests. The Group is closely watching the situation in Armenia and getting daily information about the post-election arrests. AGO Group held consultations on the situation in Armenia with the Human Rights Commissioner of the Council of Europe Thomas Hammarberg. He visited Armenia recently. We will closely concern about the conditions of arrested people and search the ways out of the existing situation. We are intending to search possible steps taken by the political forces in the country for launching dialogue and achieving the mutual trust, as well as to discuss the situation of mass media in Armenia.
- Are you going to discuss the solution of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict during the visit?
- We are intending to discuss the situation around the Nagorno Karabakh conflict in both countries. As you know, the Council of Europe is not playing a primary role in the process of solution of this issue, but while Azerbaijan and Armenia joining the Council of Europe both have been obliged to solve the Nagorno Karabakh conflict peacefully and it is one of the main obligations. Therefore, AGO Group is always focusing this issue, which will be on the agenda during the visits to both countries. The Group will discuss the current situation in the negotiations over the solution of the conflict and its prospects. As I mentioned before, OSCE Minsk Group is directly involved in this issue, but from the point of obligations, the Council of Europe is also interested in the soonest solution of the conflict.