Azerbaijan considering full withdrawal from Council of Europe

President Ilham Aliyev did not rule out the possibility of Azerbaijan's complete withdrawal from the Council of Europe during his speech at the IV Shusha Global Media Forum on July 13.

According to the President, Azerbaijan and Armenia initiated a peace agreement in the United States in 2025 with the participation of President Donald Trump. Thus, Azerbaijan unilaterally lifted the restrictions it had imposed on Armenia.

President Ilham Aliyev announced that more than 40,000 tons of various cargo had been transported to Armenia from Russia, Kazakhstan and other countries. In addition, Azerbaijan has started supplying oil products to Armenia and more than 10,000 tons of products have been sent so far.

"All this shows that the amendment is completely outdated and must be completely eliminated and canceled," President Ilham Aliyev said.

The President called the deprivation of the Azerbaijani delegation's voting rights in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) an "unfair decision."

"Azerbaijan is fully considering withdrawing from the organization. We are not only considering suspending, freezing our membership, but also, unequivocally, considering leaving that institution," the President said.

Minority Azerbaijan notes that, same-sex acts were decriminalised in Azerbaijan in 2000, since it was a pre-condition for membership to the Council of Europe. But despite the decriminalization on paper, the reality of the situation is that this decision was not followed up with any actions or plans to eliminate or reduce discrimination against LGBTQI+ community.  

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