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Baku. Rashad Suleymanov – APA. The interview of Elkhan Suleymanov, member of Azerbaijani Delegation to PACE, Chairman of Azerbaijani Delegation to the Euronest PA to APA.

- During the year, hearings and conferences regarding Nagorno Karabakh were held in the parliaments of several countries on your initiative and with your organization…

- Yes. But I’ve to clarify one moment of concern regarding your question. As an average Azerbaijani, the wording of “Nagorno Karabakh conflict” worries me. I would like to bring to your attention that this wording does not reflect the essence of the tragedy our country has faced, and has an obscure and vague meaning. It is unclear whether there existed the facts of armed aggression and occupation. Such a wording does not embrace the essence of the tragedy and any information regarding the invader and the party exposed to invasion.

Nagorno Karabakh conflict that Azerbaijan faces is not a conflict, but an armed aggression of Armenia against Azerbaijan and the occupation of our territories by Armenia. Armenia carried out military aggression against Azerbaijan, waged a war against our country, and occupied the Azerbaijani territories. Armenia is an aggressor, and Azerbaijan is a party exposed to aggression.

As for your question, I have to note that the occupation of Azerbaijani territories by Armenia and the enlightenment of the world community about the realities on its serious results constituted the main direction of my activity. The hearings and conferences were held in Belgian, Italian, Finnish, Spanish, and Andorran Parliaments regarding the occupation of Azerbaijani territories by Armenia and its serious results.

- Could you please give more information about events held in the parliaments of different European countries?

- The Azerbaijani side attended the events in the parliaments of the mentioned European countries with large delegation. Azerbaijan was represented by Mr. Ali Hasanov, Deputy Prime Minister and Head of State Committee on Deals of Refugees and Internally Displaced People, Ms. Sevinj Hasanova, Deputy Minister of Economic Development, MPs Mr. Fazil Mustafa, Mr. Gudrat Hasanguliyev, Mr. Zahid Oruj, Mr. Faraj Guliyev, Mr. Jeyhun Osmanli, and Mr. Fuad Muradov. And the host countries were represented by MPs from those countries, public and political, as well as scientific and state figures.

I would like to particularly stress that the main goal of these hearings is to achieve that national parliaments demand the implementation of the decisions adopted by international organizations regarding the military occupation. Thus, the failure to implement the decisions of the international organizations may be actually evaluated as their support to aggressive Armenia. And the struggle against the aggressor means to serve the mankind and humanity.

Therefore, speakers in the hearings repeatedly highlighted the facts that the resolutions were adopted on Nagorno Karabakh problem by UN Security Council and General Assembly, European Parliament, PACE, OSCE, and other international organizations, and that the occupation of 20% of Azerbaijani territories, including Nagorno Karabakh region, by Armenia was stressed in these documents.

In my speech, I noted that the occupation war of Armenia against our country resulted in great moral and material damage to Azerbaijani nation, and according to our calculations, the material damage to Azerbaijan in the result of war amounted over 431.5 (four hundred thirty one billion and five hundred) US dollars for early 2011.

Mr. Ali Hasanov, Head of State Committee on Deals of Refugees and Internally Displaced People, Ms. Sevinj Hasanova, Deputy Minister of Economic Development, and Members of Parliament delivered a comprehensive report during these events.

- You’re the member of PACE Monitoring Committee from Azerbaijani Delegation. The final report on our country prepared by the co-rapporteurs was discussed and adopted in the meeting of Monitoring Committee in December. How do you evaluate this report and what could you tell about the debates in the Committee meeting?

- In my opinion, here it is worth to draw attention to the assessment of Mr. Pedro Agramunt, one of the co-rapporteurs of the Monitoring Committee regarding the report on Azerbaijan. In his interview to BBC Azerbaijan, Mr. Pedro Agramunt characterized the report as “an objective and balanced document”. As for the commitments of our country before the Council of Europe, he stressed that “Azerbaijan implements all its commitments and develops in the right direction… Political situation improves in recent years.”

Generally, I appreciate Mr. Pedro Agramunt’s assessment and the presence of a special section in the report regarding Nagorno Karabakh problem. Thus, so far this problem was dealt with only one provision in previous reports. So, the co-rapporteurs considered their mission regarding the priority issue for Azerbaijan as implemented and in fact, ignored this problem. But this time they attempted to objectively express their position on the problem.

Nevertheless, I proposed to add the next sentence to the resolution part of report during discussions: “The Assembly regrets that negotiations have not led, so far, to any tangible results, that related PACE, European Parliament, OSCE and UNSC resolutions, condemning the military occupation have not been implemented till today and that the rights of about one million Azeri citizens are being violated since twenty years.” Despite serious protests by the members of Armenian Delegation and some MPs with anti-Azerbaijani position, my proposal was adopted.

One of the significant points for us in the report was about bans on mass demonstrations and protests in the centre of Baku city. As the co-rapporteur Pedro Agramunt says “Azerbaijan has some problems in this sphere. However, this issue concerns not only Azerbaijan, but also all European countries. They all have problems in this sphere.” Delivering speech regarding this issue, I proposed to rewrite the paragraph on freedom of assembly in the following wording: “find a compromise solution to allow protest actions in some areas of Baku city Centre, complying with security requirements and being acceptable for both the organizers and the authorities”. Finally, this proposal was also adopted.

Thus, the discussion of the report on Azerbaijan in the Monitoring Committee was tense, but successful for our country. I should note that during discussions Mr. Samad Seyidov, chairman of Azerbaijani Delegation has also made great efforts to achieve successful result for Azerbaijan on the report. 

-We regularly face discrimination, bias and double standards against our country in international organizations, as well as in the Council of Europe. What is the reason for that?

- Yes, we regularly face discrimination in international organizations against Azerbaijan. Even some forces in European institutions obviously take an anti-Azerbaijani stance regarding some issues and attempt to put political pressure on our country. Demonstration of biased and impartial position by PACE against Azerbaijan on the issue of political prisoner has become more distinct for more than ten years.

It is interesting that the situation on human rights and freedoms in other CoE Member States is not better compared to Azerbaijan. There is not any restriction on internet access in Azerbaijan. Online newspapers and online television is widely used and citizens benefited from recent opportunities of information technologies without any restriction. Despite the above-mentioned facts, the PACE claims that only Azerbaijan out of 47 Member States limits the freedom of speech and has political prisoners.

In its turn during that period, Azerbaijan kept on stating that PACE did not have criteria applicable to all Member States demanding legal definition of concept of “political prisoner”. Finally, this institution acknowledged the absence of criteria on political prisoners and on 3 October 2012, the report on the definition of political prisoners was discussed in PACE. After long and intense discussions, this report was considered adopted according to the Rules of Procedure with 89/89 votes. I would like to specially emphasize that the forces beware of not getting the quorum during the vote, achieved adoption of criteria of political prisoner with anti-Azerbaijani campaign full of bias and slander.

I would like to stress that the issue of political prisoner has always been a tool for CoE and other international organizations to put political pressure on this or that country and this situation continues. I would like to state that Georgia has been presented as a model country in the sphere of democracy and in ensuring human rights until recently. After the elections, those who saw the change of political conjuncture in Georgia and those who were praising the country for its achievements in the sphere of democracy and human rights, claimed on 12 December Monitoring Committee meeting that there were 200 political prisoners in that country. Very interesting, it was stated that national parliament cannot interfere with the work of courts. Then I took the floor and told that we were CoE MPs and asked how we can interfere with the work of courts, while it was only the exclusive authority of European Court of Human Rights to define violations of human rights.

I consider it necessary to mention one more issue. None of the resolutions adopted by international organizations is being implemented. Though the OSCE Minsk Group has been functioning for 20 years, no result has been achieved so far. In some institutions some politicians, MPs and officials show obvious indifference.

According to the PACE resolution 1416 on the problem adopted in 2005, the Sub-committee on Nagorno Karabakh was set up.  The Armenian side boycotts the work of the Sub-committee and in fact, it doesn’t function since 2006. In other words, Armenia ignores its commitments before the Council of Europe and the Council of Europe remains silent.

I would like to stress that it is not a coincidence that the resolutions adopted by the international organizations regarding the occupation of Azerbaijan territories are not implemented. As evidence, I would like to show the response letter addressed to me in December of this year by the EP President Mr. Martin Schulz. He writes: “I hope that Armenia and Azerbaijan will overcome their difficult conflict over Nagorno Karabakh.” As you can see, the President of the European Parliament charged aggressor Armenia and Azerbaijan, which was exposed to aggression, with the responsibility of the solution of the conflict and thus, once more confirmed the indifference of international organizations, also that of the European Parliament to this issue.

Undoubtedly, the fact that some forces in European institutions have an anti-Azerbaijani position, present Azerbaijan as an anti-democratic country which violates human rights in the international area, try to damage our international image with various means, and attempts to exert political pressure on Azerbaijan, has one major purpose: the aim of such a campaign against Azerbaijan in the Council of Europe and international organizations is to achieve that massive and gross violation of rights of over 1 million Azerbaijani people by aggressive Armenia, at the same time the restoration of their violated rights remain beyond the attention of international community.

These forces deliberately present Azerbaijan as a country having more serious problem in the field of democracy and human rights, thereby trying to keep our country, as boxers say, in “knockdown” position, to distract our mind by constantly making us deal with these “problems” and in the real sense making us forget the fact of Armenian occupation. Thus, the international organizations assist the aggressor Armenia by giving Armenia, which captured Irevan, Zengezur, Vedibasar, Goyche, Garagoyunlu and other Azerbaijan lands a century ago and officialized them as “ancient Armenian lands” the opportunity to prolong the occupation of Nagorno Karabakh territories by Armenia 20 years ago for other 20 years, then also to officialize this occupation and unite these territories to itself. More precisely, the international organizations very delicately, secretly, but strongly help the aggressive state by using time for the benefit of Armenia. I believe that this time the Azerbaijani society will not allow the aggressor to realize their next insidious plans.

- A few days later 2012 comes to an end and new 2013 is beginning. What would you like to wish to your voters?

- I sincerely congratulate my voters with the upcoming New Year and wish them health and happiness. I know that each Azerbaijani looks forward to the liberation of our lands. Like each Azerbaijani, I do my best to bring this day closer and I believe that this day will come.

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