Azerbaijan Avoided EC Sanctions With Great Difficulty
Strasburg decided to discuss the deprivation of Azeri delegation's mandate after the upcoming parliamentary by-elections in May.
Member of Azeri delegation in PACE Rafael Huseynov has submitted a document to the Council of Ministers of the European Council, proposing to consider the issue of excluding Armenia from the European Council, as if because Yerevan breaks the fundamental principles and basic criteria of that organization. It is noteworthy that the document was submitted just the next day after PACE discussed the issue of depriving the delegation of Azerbaijan of the vote on assembly session. It was the thread of sanctions from the European Council that made Azerbaijan go to such a provocation.
The proposal of the monitoring committee on depriving Azerbaijan of the vote was conditioned by widespread falsifications during November parliamentary elections. Though the draft resolution was not approved, the extremely negative background discrediting Azerbaijan remained. In Baku they supposed that PACE will have claims on Armenia too, in connection with violations during the referendum. But the report on the referendum on the session of the Council of Ministers was just taken into account and sanctions against Armenia were simply out of question. This is what made Baku so nervous. Azeris counted on the notorious parity principle which is applied so often by PACE leaders. It looks like this time Strasburg decided not to make a muddle of things and to reward everyone according to their deserts. In order to compensate for the loss, the Azeri delegation decided to employ the foolish plan of proposing Armenia's exclusion from the Council of Europe.
It should be noted that Rafael Huseynov's initiative dictated by the presidential administration of Azerbaijan has no future. As a matter of fact, Azerbaijan did not hope for any prospects. Their main aim was just to do harm to Armenians and to grate on their nerves. However, Yerevan has already got used to such foolish things. But in Strasburg many are obviously annoyed with the fact that the Azeri delegation started its activities in PACE with such a cheap propagandistic trick. Meanwhile, EC leaders wanted to believe that the new messengers of the Azeri parliament would be more constructive than their predecessors. As it turns out, their hopes have not come true
Azerbaijan managed to defend the right of vote in the European Council with great difficulty. The situation was much more than serious and Baku was ready for the worst - non-recognition of the mandate. The plan of demarche in case of non-recognition was already prepared by the president's administration. The Azeri delegation was ordered to demonstratively leave the session hall. The speeches of the monitoring committee's co-reporters on Azerbaijan Andreas Gross, Anders Herkel and the head of election observers group Leo Platvoyet was supported also by other deputies who insisted on the necessity of applying sanctions against Baku. Azerbaijan was only defended by Turkey, Germany and Great Britain. And though it was decided to refrain from applying sanctions, it should be taken into account that the 37 votes for the deprivation of Azerbaijan's right to vote is almost 10 times as much the number of members of Armenian delegation. Thus, the argument of Azeri propagandists that the initiative of applying sanctions against Azerbaijan belongs to Armenia should not be taken seriously.
Huseynov's initiative of excluding Armenia from PACE is not the only unpleasant surprise prepared by the Azeri delegation. Anti-Armenian propaganda was applied by Azerbaijan also during the discussions on secret CIA prisons and the crimes of communist regime. However, their success is quite doubtful. Hoping to achieve the mentioning of "deportation of Azeris from Armenia" in the resolution condemning the crimes of communist regimes, they actually disposed the members of Russian delegations against themselves. The representatives of Russian delegation were ready to take revenge by supporting the resolution of non-recognition of Azeri delegation's mandate.
Anti-Armenian propaganda in the context of discussions around CIA secret prisons looks even more foolish. Azeris say that on the territory of Karabakh there are secret concentration camps and bases for training terrorists. Anyway, the story of secret prisons is fraught with problems first of all for Azerbaijan, since there are at least two well-known facts, which prove that American planes with prisoners have landed in Baku with the consent of Azeri rulers. Known are even the dates - November 15 and October 30, 2005. Baku realizes the seriousness of the situation. "If secret CIA prisons are found in our country, it will entail discussions in PACE which will in their turn result in recommendations to apply sanctions against Azerbaijan", said the director of Human Rights Center of Azerbaijan Eldar Zeynalov in his interview to Baku journalists.
Thus very near is the day when the question of applying sanctions against Azerbaijan will again be put on the PACE agenda. At that time Azerbaijan will have much less chances to slip out.
It should be noted that Rafael Huseynov's initiative dictated by the presidential administration of Azerbaijan has no future. As a matter of fact, Azerbaijan did not hope for any prospects. Their main aim was just to do harm to Armenians and to grate on their nerves. However, Yerevan has already got used to such foolish things. But in Strasburg many are obviously annoyed with the fact that the Azeri delegation started its activities in PACE with such a cheap propagandistic trick. Meanwhile, EC leaders wanted to believe that the new messengers of the Azeri parliament would be more constructive than their predecessors. As it turns out, their hopes have not come true
Azerbaijan managed to defend the right of vote in the European Council with great difficulty. The situation was much more than serious and Baku was ready for the worst - non-recognition of the mandate. The plan of demarche in case of non-recognition was already prepared by the president's administration. The Azeri delegation was ordered to demonstratively leave the session hall. The speeches of the monitoring committee's co-reporters on Azerbaijan Andreas Gross, Anders Herkel and the head of election observers group Leo Platvoyet was supported also by other deputies who insisted on the necessity of applying sanctions against Baku. Azerbaijan was only defended by Turkey, Germany and Great Britain. And though it was decided to refrain from applying sanctions, it should be taken into account that the 37 votes for the deprivation of Azerbaijan's right to vote is almost 10 times as much the number of members of Armenian delegation. Thus, the argument of Azeri propagandists that the initiative of applying sanctions against Azerbaijan belongs to Armenia should not be taken seriously.
Huseynov's initiative of excluding Armenia from PACE is not the only unpleasant surprise prepared by the Azeri delegation. Anti-Armenian propaganda was applied by Azerbaijan also during the discussions on secret CIA prisons and the crimes of communist regime. However, their success is quite doubtful. Hoping to achieve the mentioning of "deportation of Azeris from Armenia" in the resolution condemning the crimes of communist regimes, they actually disposed the members of Russian delegations against themselves. The representatives of Russian delegation were ready to take revenge by supporting the resolution of non-recognition of Azeri delegation's mandate.
Anti-Armenian propaganda in the context of discussions around CIA secret prisons looks even more foolish. Azeris say that on the territory of Karabakh there are secret concentration camps and bases for training terrorists. Anyway, the story of secret prisons is fraught with problems first of all for Azerbaijan, since there are at least two well-known facts, which prove that American planes with prisoners have landed in Baku with the consent of Azeri rulers. Known are even the dates - November 15 and October 30, 2005. Baku realizes the seriousness of the situation. "If secret CIA prisons are found in our country, it will entail discussions in PACE which will in their turn result in recommendations to apply sanctions against Azerbaijan", said the director of Human Rights Center of Azerbaijan Eldar Zeynalov in his interview to Baku journalists.
Thus very near is the day when the question of applying sanctions against Azerbaijan will again be put on the PACE agenda. At that time Azerbaijan will have much less chances to slip out.
