AZERBAIJAN SPARED

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The Azeri delegation to PACE was in a very desolate situation in Strasbourg. The members of the Azeri delegation took turns in persuading the PACE delegates not to deprive them of the mandate.

“If you want to punish us, do it at the end”, said the head of the Azeri delegation Samed Seidov shaking his hands and complaining that they inform Europe of their problems for what they are being punished. “We are the victims of the aggression by Armenia, and still you want to punish us”, Gultaki Hajieva did not miss the chance to announce.

On May 13 double Parliamentary elections will be held in 10 electoral areas in Azerbaijan. The Azeri delegates offered to give them a chance, not to deprive them of the mandate and wait until the elections. “We will o back to Azerbaijan and tell everyone that we mist show that we can organize free and fair elections”, Seidov persuaded claiming that not all the international standards have been violated but part of them.

“We do not want to put anyone in the pillory. The deprivation of the Azeri delegation of the mandate is the chance of CE for the sake of the Azeri people, for the sake of the establishment of democracy in the country”, reporter of the issue Tony Lloyd from Great Britain explained. According to him, there were so many violations in the Parliamentary elections that one cannot close an eye on them.

And Andreas Herkel from Estonia announced that there is no phenomenon called democracy in Azerbaijan, compliant with the international standards. «One can see young democracy in Georgia, in Ukraine, but not in Azerbaijan», he said contrasting the Azeris who claimed that five year is too little for the establishment of democracy.

Nevertheless, despite the rough speeches, the PACE decided not to deprive Azerbaijan of the mandate and to wait until the elections in May.