Azerbaijan considering full withdrawal from Council of Europe

Azerbaijan is considering a full withdrawal from the Council of Europe, President Ilham Aliyev said on Monday, accusing European institutions of bias against his country.

Speaking at the fourth Shusha Global Media Forum, Aliyev said Azerbaijan's membership in the Council of Europe has had little impact. "If Azerbaijan leaves the Council of Europe completely, no one in the country will even notice," he said.

Aliyev said Azerbaijan seriously considered leaving the organization after the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) suspended the voting rights of its delegation in January 2024, which he described as punishment for restoring the country's sovereignty.

“We are seriously evaluating the complete departure from the institution, not only freezing our membership in PACE but also leaving Council of Europe as a whole,” he said, stressing that his country is being discriminated for two years.

He said the plan to withdrawal was put on hold after Council of Europe Secretary General Alain Berset asked Baku to give dialogue a chance. "But unfortunately, since that time, nothing has happened," Aliyev said, accusing the Council of Europe of making "absolutely unacceptable" demands.

He said Azerbaijan would return to PACE only after its delegation's voting rights are restored. "It was not us who ruined relations; it was them," he said.

Speaking about the global agenda, Aliyev said Azerbaijan wants stability beyond its borders, warning that conflicts in neighboring regions threaten its security.

Referring to the Ukraine war and tensions between the US and Iran, he said Baku supports efforts to achieve peace and welcomed Pakistan's mediation.

"Currently, both our neighboring countries, both in the north and in the south, are at war. This is a matter of concern from the point of view of our country's security. At the same time, we are doing everything possible to ensure peace in the region, so that this conflict and bloodshed stop," he said.

Aliyev praised Pakistan's efforts aimed at reconciliation between Iran and the US.

"Especially in this regard, I would like to mention Pakistan and my friend Shahbaz Sharif. They have done a lot of work as intermediaries between the US and Iran. Unfortunately, it didn't last long," he said.

The Azerbaijani president expressed hope that the conflict will end soon, stressing that in his opinion peace is possible.

Aliyev reiterated Azerbaijan's support for Ukraine's territorial integrity and sovereignty, saying Kyiv should not accept occupation. "This war must be stopped immediately," he said.

He added that relations with Russia have "completely normalized" after recent tensions and expressed satisfaction with their current trajectory.

"It is important that this process is already over, and I would say that relations are fully normalized," he said.

Referring to the Second Karabakh War in the fall of 2020, Aliyev said Azerbaijan ended its military campaign to prevent a prolonged conflict. "We stopped where we had to stop. We stopped to avoid prolonging the war indefinitely. We could have had other options, but responsibility and wisdom dictated stopping,” he said.

Drawing a parallel with the Middle East, Aliyev said regional countries should pursue normalization once active fighting ends. “When the period of hot conflict ends, the Gulf countries and Iran should stop. They should try to normalize relations and not turn this process into a global conflict,” he said.