Azerbaijani delegation raps statement of CoE Congress of Local and Regional Authorities as biased, prejudiced

We strongly reject the unfounded accusations and biased attitude towards Azerbaijan contained in the declaration on the Karabakh region of Azerbaijan, adopted on October 26, by the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe.

The statement of the Azerbaijani delegation to the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe reads, Azertac reports.

It notes that during Azerbaijan’s long membership in the Council of Europe, 20 per cent of the country’s territory was under Armenian occupation, and as a result of Armenia’s policy of ethnic cleansing, about a million Azerbaijanis became refugees and internally displaced persons.

However, over the past period, these issues have never been specifically discussed in Congress, nor has a position been voiced regarding gross violations of international law and its humanitarian consequences, the document emphasizes.

In addition, no attention was paid to the humanitarian problems that Azerbaijan faced in the post-conflict period after 2020, including due to the complete destruction during the occupation of hundreds of settlements in Azerbaijani territories, the massive contamination of these territories with mines and the impact of all this on the safety and security of dignified return of Azerbaijan’s internally displaced persons to their homes.

Against this background, it is deeply regrettable that the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe adopted a declaration that distorts the local anti-terrorism measures carried out by Azerbaijan on September 19-20, 2023, in order to eliminate the security threat posed by the presence of illegal Armenian armed formations in the sovereign territories of Azerbaijan.

Moreover, the declaration of the congress did not adequately reflect Azerbaijan's consistent efforts to establish lasting peace in the region and the reintegration of the Armenian population of the Karabakh region, as well as Armenia's provocative actions aimed at undermining these efforts.

“In this regard, we consider it irresponsible to drag Congress into an insidious political campaign against Azerbaijan and undermine constructive cooperation between our country and this structure. The Azerbaijani delegation rejects this unfair approach towards the country and calls on Congress to exercise due caution regarding the peace process in our region, acting strictly within its mandate,” the Azerbaijani delegation said in the statement.