The delegation of Serbia to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) has sent an appeal to President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe Theodoros Rousopoulos objecting the resolution adopted by the Assembly regarding the Azerbaijani delegation.
“Excellency,
We are writing with regard to the recent unfortunate developments in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, whereby the credentials of the delegation of the Milli Majlis of the Republic of Azerbaijan were challenged and the resolution not to ratify them was adopted.
Regretfully, the Delegation of the Republic of Serbia was unable to take part in the voting on this resolution due to the ongoing formation process of our National Assembly following the parliamentary elections in the country on 17 December 2023.
Nonetheless, herewith the Serbian Delegation would like to register its dissent with the attitude against the Delegation of Azerbaijan and resolution adopted on highly dubious grounds. We are deeply convinced that the resolution is a step back from genuine dialogue within the PACE, only contributing to the ongoing polarization. It is also an illustration of deepening degradation of values within the Assembly.
The Serbian delegation to the PACE herewith strongly objects the adopted resolution, and calls for its reconsideration with a view to preventing the adverse effects on the reputation and envisaged role of our Assembly, and the Council of Europe as such.
Challenging credentials of the Azerbaijan’s parliamentary delegation renders engagement with Azerbaijan in the framework of PACE impossible, leading to the potential loss of even more avenues for cooperation with this country in the broader framework of the Council of Europe with its rich tapestry of various bodies and mechanisms for cooperation and fulfillment of commitments. Such a situation runs contrary to the very fundamental objective of this body designed to serve as a platform for dialogue and fulfillment of our relevant commitments. It is also a serious blow to the reputation of the Assembly and the Council of Europe in general, as well as a neglect of the cooperative spirit that they espouse. Moreover, it leads to distancing of the Council from matters concerning the South Caucasus region, including those directly related to the mandate of the organization, which cannot be regarded being in the best interest of this organization.
Once again underscoring the utmost importance of maintaining genuine dialogue and engagement with all PACE members, the Delegation of Serbia appeals to you with the request to act resolutely and annul the resolution on non-ratification of the credentials of the delegation of the Republic of Azerbaijan.
Biljana Pantic Pilja, Head of the Delegation
Dubravka Filipovski
Elvira Kovacs
Dunja Simonovic Bratic
Stefan Jovanovic
Jelena Zaric Kovacevic
Aleksandar Markovic.”
