Azerbaijan, Baku, May 26 / Trend M.Aliyev /
Speaker of Azerbaijani Parliament Ogtay Asadov has sent a protest letter to president of the European Parliament Martin Schulz.
"Resolution "On the violation of human rights, democracy and the rule of law" adopted by the European Parliament on May 24 on Azerbaijan, causes a feeling of regret and concern in the country," the letter reads.
Azerbaijan, in spite of the pressures and difficulties, has consciously and explicitly chosen path of building a constitutional state based on respect for human rights and freedoms, the speaker notes.
"Of course, we understand that there are some shortcomings in this area. Azerbaijan is a young democratic state, and the possibilities of democracy are endless, a system of democratic values enriches itself, time presents us with new problems. The most important thing is that dedicated work is underway to address certain shortcomings. Assistance that international organizations can provide in this area is very important. But the bias will not serve the benefit of this business," he said.
One of the main reasons for adoption of the resolution in this form is due to the fact that the discussions did not take into account the arguments of the Azerbaijani side, inaccurate and unverified information was taken as a basis, Asadov notes.
"Urgent and immediate inclusion of question on Azerbaijan in the agenda of the European Parliament and adoption of a resolution with the participation of a small number of MPs shows that it is biased and unfair step," the letter reads.
The development of democracy and human rights protection in Azerbaijan are not at that level, as reflected in the resolution, the chairman of the parliament noted.
He said freedom of assembly and freedom of expression of each political force, and every citizen in the country are provided by law.
"Prevention of illegal actions of some parties which were subject to political collapse, not supported by the public and having no credibility among the people, shall not be considered as a violation of democracy, human rights violation. Everyone knows that the advanced European countries apply all legal methods to prevent illegal actions, to observe public order.
Persons in respect of which the resolution says, they were arrested for political motives, are condemned by the court decision not for political reasons, but for specific actions that are contrary to law," the letter says.
The speaker emphasized that the fact that such an influential organization like the European Parliament has fallen under the influence of these forces causes regret.
"We believe that such actions against Azerbaijan will not turn us from our path, will not break our faith in democracy, human rights and freedoms, the rule of law," the letter says.