Ankara slams PACE decision to deny Azerbaijani MPs credentials

ANKARA

The Turkish Foreign Ministry has criticized the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) for not ratifying the credentials of the Azerbaijani National Delegation.

In a written statement on Feb. 16, the ministry expressed Türkiye’s regret that the credentials of the Azerbaijani National Delegation were not ratified by the PACE.

“This resolution is incompatible with democratic values and undermines the right to equal representation. It is also clear that this step, which means closing channels of cooperation and dialogue, will impede efforts towards regional peace and stability,” the statement read.

“Türkiye calls on PACE to address this mistake as soon as possible and focus on the efforts for peace in the South Caucasus,” the ministry added.

In a resolution earlier this year, the PACE members voted in favor of denying the credentials of the 12-member Azerbaijani delegation on the grounds that Baku has not fulfilled major commitments stemming from its membership to the Council of Europe.

Azerbaijan has already suspended its participation in the PACE after the body voted not to ratify the Azerbaijani delegation’s credentials.