Not all the European institutions demonstrate the same approach as the European Commission in supporting the Armenia-Azerbaijan peace process, President Ilham Aliyev said addressing the European Political Community Summit in Yerevan via a video link, according to Report.
The head of state said that among such institutions are the European Parliament and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE).
Ilham Aliyev recalled that Azerbaijan has been a member of the Council of Europe since 2001, and until January 2024 no restrictions had been imposed on its national delegation.
"By the way, I, then the head of the Azerbaijani delegation and a member of parliament, was one of the active members of PACE. Our delegation was never under any restrictions in the Council of Europe until January 2024. In September 2023, Azerbaijan put an end to separatism in Karabakh. We ourselves implemented four United Nations Security Council resolutions adopted in 1993 and remained on paper for 30 years. Four months after that, PACE imposed sanctions on our delegation," Ilham Aliyev said.
"Unfortunately, double standards is today a kind of a modus operandi for PACE. Azerbaijan's territorial integrity has the same value that of any other country. And in this issue, double standards are unacceptable," the head of state said.
As for the European Parliament, Ilham Aliyev noted that instead of supporting the peace process, "this gathering prefers to sabotage it."
The Azerbaijani leader added that since May 2021, that is six months after the end of the Second Karabakh War, until April 30, 2026, European Parliament adopted 14 resolutions full of insults, lies about Azerbaijan.
"Just imagine, 14 resolutions in five years. Kind of an obsession. The last one only 4 days ago, deliberately right prior to the summit. Instead of addressing fundamental problems of some member states, such as xenophobia, Islamophobia, antisemitism, migration, competitiveness, problems of the homeless people, European Parliament targets Azerbaijan, spreading slander and lie.
And the reason is that Azerbaijan restored its territorial integrity and sovereignty, put an end to separatism, and brought war criminals to justice. In response, Parliament of Azerbaijan on May 1st decided officially to suspend cooperation with the European Parliament in all areas, cease participation in the activities of the EU-Azerbaijan Parliamentary Cooperation Committee, and initiate the procedures for termination of membership in the Uranus Parliamentary Assembly," Ilham Aliyev said.
"Taking into account that during EPC summits we openly exchange our views and our concerns, I just wanted to inform our colleagues with what is happening in this respect so that there'll be no misinformation and manipulation with the follow-up decision," he said.