The details were added (the first version was posted at 15:02)
Azerbaijan, Baku, May 29 / Trend M. Aliyev /
The Azerbaijani Parliament has issued a protest against the European Parliament's resolution on the human rights and democracy in Azerbaijan.
"A letter of protest was sent to the head of the European Parliament in connection with the biased nature of the European Parliament's resolution on Azerbaijan," speaker of the Azerbaijani Parliament Oktay Asadov said. "The main reason of the European Parliament's hastily adopted resolution is that some forces cannot humble with Azerbaijan's success holding a highly successful Eurovision song contest in Baku. Certain forces worry about Azerbaijan's development."
He said that the resolution was adopted by the European Parliament under the influence of the Armenian lobby.
"Several international organisations have launched an anti-Azerbaijani campaign, but nobody can force us to turn from our direction," he said.
The authors of the European Parliament's resolution said that Azerbaijan does not support NGOs. This statement is ill-founded, chairman of the Council of State Support to NGOs under the Azerbaijani President, MP Azay Guliyev said.
"Everyone knows that it is not so," he said. "Assistance provided to NGOs in Azerbaijan at many international events is stressed as a positive fact."
The European Parliament's resolution harms the bilateral relations existing between the European Parliament and Azerbaijan, chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Foreign and Interparliamentary Relations and Head of the Azerbaijani delegation to PACE, Samad Seyidov said.
Considering the European Parliament's decision as biased and prejudiced, MP stressed that detractors are not pleased with Azerbaijan's achievements.
Expressing his attitude toward Samad Seyidov's statement to reconsider ties with the European Parliament, Deputy Chairman and Executive Secretary of ruling New Azerbaijan Party Ali Ahmadov said there is a serious reason. Parliament must show a clear position on this issue, Ahmadov said.
"This position must be demonstrated as the position of the ruling party's faction, having the parliamentary majority," he added. "MPs must seriously discuss this issue and clearly express Azerbaijan's position."
MP Rovshan Rzayev said that the European Parliament's resolution adopted on May 24, is biased. It has unverified data. Azerbaijan rapidly follows the way of independent democratic state-building, the MP said.
"The only question that bothers Azerbaijan is the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, but the European Parliament does not protect one million people whose rights have been violated by Armenia," Rzayev said.