Azerbaijan to suspend activity at Euronest Parliamentary Assembly

PanARMENIAN.Net - Azerbaijan will suspend activity in the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly, following a decision by the country’s parliament on Monday, September 14, TASS reports.

The decision was made in response to a resolution adopted by the European Parliament (EP) on Azerbaijan on September 10. "The European Parliament’s resolution proves that the campaign on discrediting Azerbaijan has become extremely offensive," the document said, adding that the resolution attempts to undermine Azerbaijan’s authority and isolate it from integrating into Europe. The document added that the European Parliament chairman imposed an unofficial ban for EP members to visit Azerbaijan.

The Azerbaijani parliament demanded to put an end to destructive actions and a biased campaign against Baku. It was also decided to review the appropriateness of Azerbaijan's participation in EU's Eastern Partnership program. The cabinet of ministers was told to “ban European Parliament members from entering the country in case of imposition of sanctions against Azerbaijan’s officials."

On Friday, the European Parliament adopted a resolution criticizing the human rights situation in Azerbaijan. The resolution demands to release with no preconditions a group of human rights activists and journalists charged with different criminal offenses. The document also calls for imposing targeted sanctions against Azerbaijani officials "who violate human rights." The resolution calls for international organizations not to send observers to the parliamentary elections in the country scheduled for November 1.