Head of Georgian parliamentary delegation sends letter to PACE President over non-ratification of Azerbaijan’s credentials

Head of the Georgian parliamentary delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) Givi Mikanadze has sent a letter to PACE President Theodoros Rousopoulos over the PACE’s adopted resolution on non-ratification of credentials of the Azerbaijani parliamentary delegation, AZERTAC reported citing the Azerbaijan’s Milli Majlis’ press service.

“We are concerned with the fact that such harsh decisions are made without substantial discussions and analysis of possible adverse effects on future PACE-Azerbaijan and PACE-South Caucasus relations as well as the future of PACE itself,” the letter said.

According to Givi Mikanadze, the resolution makes the future cooperation and exchange of views with Azerbaijan in PACE impossible. It would also negatively affect to PACE’s engagement level with the South Caucasus region.

“Furthermore, this decision undermines the mission and reputation of the Council of Europe as a vital platform for substantial dialogue and cooperation. Therefore, this resolution, contradicting the spirit of values and commitments of the Council of Europe, may lead to even more polarization and hinder especially valuable trust-based cooperation between PACE member states,” he noted.

The head of the Georgian parliamentary delegation also called for reconsidering the resolution to avoid detrimental effects of the decision on non-ratification of credentials of the Azerbaijani delegation.

Makanadze expressed his confidence that the annulling of the resolution would contribute the interests of the Council of Europe.