France, Strasbourg, Jan.25 / Trend A. Maharramli /
It is necessary to be fair to be together in Europe, member of the Azerbaijani Delegation to PACE Fazail Ibrahimli said during discussions of a report on the parliamentary elections in Azerbaijan on Monday during PACE's winter plenary session.
"Azerbaijan has become a member of the Council of Europe to enhance multilateral relations with European countries. The reforms carried out by Azerbaijan in the sphere of democracy and human rights as promoted by the CoE are clearly seen by the whole world. From this point of view, the elections held in November confirm what was said. The missions of international organizations observed these elections and stressed their holding in democratic conditions. But some organizations and structures expressed their attitude about the elections without considering the psychological situation in Azerbaijan, and took a biased position in their decisions," Ibrahimli said.
Azerbaijan is in a state of war, the MP said.
"The ceasefire regime is violated on the contact line, which leads to the deaths of innocent people and soldiers. During the elections in the regions, where I was nominated, families who lost children came to the elections with tears in their eyes. I want to ask - is there an MP here who witnessed the holding of parliamentary elections in his own country in such conditions? Of course not. If all of these factors are not considered, then it is be impossible to objectively assess the elections," Ibrahimli said.
Ibrahimli also drew attention to the criteria used to measure democratic values.
"Some talk about the rights of peoples who are guilty in crimes and punished as a result, while nothing is said about the people who have been refugees and IDPs for over 20 years. In case of the accidental violation of human rights during the elections, some immediately say there is no democracy in Azerbaijan. Whereas a violation of electoral law is stressed, the right to life of over a million people, unfortunately, is passed over in silence. This is an objective reality. If we want to be together in Europe, then we need to be fair and unbiased in this regard," the MP said.