news.az, Azerbaijan
Sept 3 2011
PACE committee chairman: `Azerbaijan will become one of the most
democratic countries in the near future’
[ 03 Sep 2011 14:48 ]
Baku – APA. Chairperson of PACE Committee on Legal Affairs and Human
Rights Christos Pourgourides, who is on a visit to Azerbaijan, held a
briefing for journalists at the Azerbaijani parliament, press service
of the parliament told APA.
Pourgourides shared his ideas about the meetings and monitoring he
conducted during the visit. He said he visited Azerbaijan for the
first time five yeas ago and now he saw completely different country.
The guest repeated the idea he expressed during the meeting with
President Ilham Aliyev: `A much work has been done in Azerbaijan in
the field of democracy and there is much progress. Azerbaijan will
become one of the most democratic countries in the near future and it
makes us very happy’.
Appreciating the developing relations of Azerbaijan with the Council
of Europe, Pourgourides said an important work has been done in the
field of protection of human rights and freedoms. He also expressed
his opinion about the ways of solution to the Armenian-Azerbaijani
conflict. `Armenia’s pressure on Azerbaijan, occupation of Nagorno
Karabakh and seven nearby regions is against the norms and principles
of both local and international laws. These lands must be immediately
liberated and returned to Azerbaijan. Not only members of the Council
of Europe, but all democratic countries must condemn Armenia and send
messages demanding withdrawal of Armenian troops from the Azerbaijani
territories. Peace and stability in the region can be ensured only by
these means’.
The guest thanked Elkhan Suleymanov, Azerbaijani MP and member of PACE
Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights, for inviting him to
Azerbaijan where he saw successful realities.