No:199/25, Press release on the participation of Deputy Minister Elnur Mammadov in the 134th session of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe
14 May 2025 15:44
The delegation led by the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan Elnur Mammadov participated and delivered a speech at the 134th session of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe held in Luxembourg on 13–14 May 2025.
During his speech at the session, the Deputy Minister noted that in March this year, negotiations on the text of the Agreement on peace and the establishment of interstate relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia were finalized. At the same time, it was emphasized that the main condition for the signing of the negotiated text is the amendment of the Constitution of Armenia in order to eliminate claims against the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, as well as the necessity of the formal dissolution of the outdated and non-functional OSCE Minsk Group and related structures.
Elnur Mammadov noted that Azerbaijan is ready to continue bilateral dialogue on these and other issues related to the normalization process between the two countries.
In his speech, the Deputy Minister stated that the non-ratification of the credentials of the Azerbaijani delegation by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe in January 2024 is completely unfounded from a legal perspective and contradicts the provision reflected in the decision adopted by the Committee of Ministers of the organization in 2019 that “all member states must participate on an equal basis in the two statutory bodies of the Council of Europe.”
He emphasized that it is necessary to resolve the situation as soon as possible in order to restore Azerbaijan’s participation in the Assembly unconditionally, which should serve as a platform for interparliamentary dialogue and cooperation.
On 14 May, Deputy Minister Elnur Mammadov also held meetings with the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Michael O’Flaherty and the Director General of Human Rights and Rule of Law of the organization Gianluca Esposito, and exchanged views on issues of mutual interest.
