The Winter Session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe was held on January 22-26 in Strasbourg, France. On the first day of the Session, the new president and vice-presidents of PACE, Commissioner for Human Rights and chairpersons of committees were elected. PACE’s priorities for the new term were announced. The issues of territorial integrity of the countries, the peaceful settlement of conflicts, the rights of refugees and internally displaced persons, the security of the civilian population in conflicts, and other issues have been declared priority in the PACE action plan.
The Azerbaijani delegation also took an active part in the PACE Winter Session. In addition to the official delegation consisting of members of the Milli Majlis (Parliament), members of the Azerbaijani civil society also demonstrated special activity during the PACE Winter Session. Head of the Azerbaijan Institute for Democracy and Human Rights Dr. Ahmad Shahidov held meetings with members of the PACE within the framework of the Session and kept the issue of release of Azerbaijani hostages Dilgam Asgarov and Shahbaz Guliyev on the agenda.
Human Rights Defender Ahmad Shahidov, who shared his views on the results of the PACE Winter Session, gave a broad interview on the work done in Strasbourg to release Azerbaijani hostages Dilgam Asgarov and Shahbaz Guliyev.