PACE left out as Azerbaijan gears up for snap parliamentary elections

Azerbaijan has not extended an invitation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) to observe the snap parliamentary elections for the Milli Majlis, scheduled for September 1, a diplomatic source told Report.

The primary reason behind this decision is the biased and double-standard policy that the Council of Europe and PACE have been pursuing against Azerbaijan for several years now. The source also noted that the participation of a PACE mission in election observation can only be discussed after the confirmation of the Azerbaijani delegation's mandate.

On January 24, the Azerbaijani delegation to PACE issued a statement during the Assembly's session, announcing their decision to cease interaction and presence in PACE until further notice.