MAHMUD MAMMADGULIYEV: WE SUGGESTED AGO GROUP TO STOP MONITORING ON AZERBAIJAN
Azeri Press Agency
Dec 14 2006
"The main themes we discussed with AGO group were the situation of
press and elections in Azerbaijan. I informed them about the position
of the Azerbaijani side on the issues concerning press and said that
ANS’s closure and removal of the newspapers from their offices are
juridical issues," Mahmud Mammadguliyev Deputy Foreign Minister told
the APA European bureau.
Mahmud Mammadguliyev said he met with the Council of Europe Secretary
General Terry Davis, AGO group and the head of permanent delegation
of San-Marino chairing CE Committee of Ministers and these meetings
were productive. He said that AGO group has prepared several surveys
on Azerbaijan.
"These questions have already been sent to Azerbaijan and we will
present our answers to AGO group. During our meeting with AGO group
we made several proposals concerning mass media. We suggested them
to prepare a wide and long-lasting program on mass media. It would
be better for the CE, or EU to participate in the preparation of
the program. AGO group mostly worried about mass media and political
prisoners. We gave information about these issues to the group. As to
political prisoners, we said that a special working group was formed
on this problem and the group had a meeting in early December.
Azerbaijan is ready to cooperate with AGO group on this problem,"
he said.
"We said that Azerbaijan is under special monitoring for 5 years.
Basically, Azerbaijan has fulfilled the majority of the CE
commitments. Some issues the fulfillments of which depend not only on
Azerbaijan, but the whole region remain. We would like this monitoring
process to finish soon and like other countries to be under ordinary
monitoring. The monitoring is held in all CE member states and there
are commitments have not been fulfilled in other countries. What is the
need of holding monitoring within a special group in this case? AGO
group is ready consider this issue and our permanent representation
will continue work on the issue," he said.
Mahmud Mammadguliyev said he expressed gratitude to the CE Secretary
General Terry Davis for his position on the referendum held in the
occupied Azerbaijani territories.
"In 15-20 minutes’ meeting with Terry Davis we mainly discussed the
situation in Azerbaijan and cooperation with the CE. As you know, Terry
Davis made a statement on the referendum held in Nagorno Karabakh. May
be the statement is not thorough and there are points in the statement
that do not satisfy us. But anyway, I was grateful to the Secretary
General for expressing his position on the issue," he said.