BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 25. The Milli Majlis (Parliament) of Azerbaijan regards the European Parliament's resolution on civil society and human rights in Azerbaijan, passed on April 25, 2024, as a biased political move lacking objectivity, and vehemently refutes groundless charges based on inaccurate and manipulated facts, Trend reports, referring to the statement of the Parliament regarding the resolution.
It was stated that it is unfortunate that this institution has become a weapon for entities engaged in a hostile and slanderous campaign against Azerbaijan following the Second Karabakh War, which ended Armenia's 30-year control of Azerbaijani territory.
"Since 2021, the European Parliament has passed eight resolutions against Azerbaijan under various pretexts. At a time when efforts are ongoing to advance the normalization process following the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict, including preliminary progress in boundary delimitation, the European Parliament's recent action seeks to degrade Azerbaijan's reputation and derail the peace process. These acts are driven by forces with a dogmatic mindset, unable to recognize the new realities in the South Caucasus," the statement reads.
As for the claims in the resolution, the Milli Majlis noted that Azerbaijan is always committed to the position of protecting human rights and fundamental freedoms, ensuring the rule of law, and consistent implementation of the principles of the rule of law.
"The use of double standards in assessing the situation regarding human rights, freedom of assembly, speech, and information in Azerbaijan is unacceptable. It's regrettable that the European Parliament, which readily criticizes Azerbaijan on human rights issues, remains silent about the plight of over one million Azerbaijani refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs). These individuals have endured expulsion from their homeland, ethnic cleansing, and genocide during the occupation of Azerbaijani territories by Armenia," the statement said.
The statement emphasizes that such activities against Azerbaijan jeopardize bilateral relations and damage the European Parliament's credibility. The Milli Majlis asks the European Parliament to avoid acts that undermine our country's democratic development efforts, to take an objective stance on Azerbaijan-related issues, and to avoid one-sided approaches motivated by political interests.
The Azerbaijani Parliament emphasized that no force could persuade Azerbaijan to abandon the path of democratic development.
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