Azerbaijani MP: Time to think about EU Council’s future

The head of the Azerbaijani delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) Samad Seyidov has said that it is time to think about the future of the Council of Europe. 

He made the remarks during discussions on the agenda of the fourth Council of Europe Summit of Heads of State and Government on January 25, Azertag reports.

"I think it would be logical to call the upcoming summit in Reykjavik an 'emergency summit' because we see a very deep crisis both in the Council of Europe and in Europe itself. What are the reasons behind this crisis? Let's be honest, after all, it is a lack of sincerity that is the reason we are in crisis,” Seyidov stated.

“If many years ago PACE had reacted objectively and promptly to the invasions of Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine, then today there would be no war. But now Europe itself is involved in the war. Now we are looking for a way out of the crisis. What should we do? We need to change everything because the current approach has led the organization to a crisis.”

He added that instead of preserving the values and sticking to them, only the desire to preserve the organization itself prevails over such principles as democracy, human rights, and the rule of law are used as a tool of pressure.

“We must go back to true values. But first, we must become sincere and objective, not favouring one group of countries while making others look wrong. Only a sincere approach can renew the Council of Europe and I believe in a new Europe,” Seyidov said.