On Tuesday 5 May, the Chair of the European Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs, David McAllister, the Chair of the Delegation to the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly, Sergey Lagodinsky, the Chair of the Delegation for relations with the South Caucasus, Nils Ušakovs, and the European Parliament’s Standing Rapporteur on Azerbaijan, Dan Barna, expressed their regret at the 1 May decision by the Milli Majlis of the Republic of Azerbaijan to suspend its cooperation with the European Parliament. The Azerbaijani Parliament has also decided to end its participation in the activities of the European Union-Azerbaijan Parliamentary Cooperation Committee and the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly.
In their view, this decision is “unfounded and contrary to the spirit of openness and constructive dialogue that we cherish”.
The MEPs made it clear that the European Parliament remained ready to engage at all levels with their Azerbaijani counterparts. “Opinions may differ, but it is our deep conviction that parliamentary cooperation provides a useful platform for the addressing of these differences and for the defence of common values and common interests”, they reiterated.
The Azerbaijani Parliament has decided to suspend all cooperation with the European Parliament in response to the latter’s “anti-Azerbaijani activities”. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)