Issue of excluding Azerbaijan from PACE becoming increasingly  relevant - Alexander Zinker

ArmInfo. The issue of excluding Azerbaijan from the Council of Europe is becoming increasingly relevant, stated director of the Institute of Eastern Europe and the CIS in Israel, political scientist Alexander Zinker:

The expert drew attention to the fact that recently the Parliamentary  Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) has been actively discussing  the possibility of introducing new sanctions against Azerbaijan, up  to and including its exclusion from the organization.

At the same time, he recalled that tensions between Azerbaijan and  the Council of Europe began to mount back in early 2024, when the  Azerbaijani authorities refused to invite PACE observers to the  presidential elections, despite their obligations to the  organization.

Zinker believes that this was a serious violation of the rules,  especially considering that Azerbaijan, as a member of the Council of  Europe, is under constant monitoring. "In response to this, PACE  threatened political sanctions in January 2024, but ultimately  refused to confirm the powers of Azerbaijani MPs for 2024. The  situation became even more aggravated in August, when the Azerbaijani  Foreign Ministry announced the introduction of sanctions against all  European MPs who supported measures against Baku.  This decision  caused outrage among European parliamentarians and became an  important turning point in the development of the conflict," the  political scientist noted.

At the same time, he noted that at the PACE session held in October  2024, the majority of deputies agreed that the situation in  Azerbaijan was beyond the pale. Tsinker noted that representatives of  four out of five PACE groups openly stated that Azerbaijan had  crossed "red lines" and that further measures against this country  should be even tougher.

"Only one group, which mainly includes supporters of the Azerbaijani  government, spoke out in favor of continuing the dialogue.

The next turning point is expected to be the PACE session in January  2025, at which the process of legally excluding Azerbaijan from the  Council of Europe may be launched. One of the key arguments in favor  of exclusion is that the country under the leadership of Ilham Aliyev  has long failed to meet democratic standards, and in recent years has  lost even their minimal signs," the expert added. Tsinker is  confident that the situation in Azerbaijan really does raise serious  concerns among international observers, especially against the  backdrop of the refusal to cooperate with PACE and other CE bodies,  such as the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture, and the  human rights situation in the country continues to deteriorate.

At the same time, the political scientist believes that the massive  violations in the recent parliamentary elections, including  repressions against journalists and opposition members, violence  against candidates and falsification of voting results, have only  strengthened the resolve of European deputies to impose new sanctions  against Baku.

"Representatives of many countries are confident that if the Council  of Europe does not respond properly to Azerbaijan's behavior, this  could lead to even more serious consequences. It is already obvious  that the Azerbaijani leadership does not intend to change its  position and is going to further aggravate relations with Europe.

Thus, the issue of excluding Azerbaijan from the Council of Europe is  becoming increasingly urgent. The organization is facing a difficult  choice: either it will take decisive measures, or its basic  principles will be called into question. The decision is expected to  be made in the coming months, but it is already clear that the  Azerbaijani authorities do not see their future in this European  structure," Tsinker concluded.