On January 28, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) in Strasbourg, France, is holding the third day of its 2026 Winter Session. The agenda includes discussions on international security, regional conflicts, human rights, the war in Ukraine, the situation in the Middle East, and challenges facing European democracies. Amid urgent debates, high-level speeches, and political statements, the overall atmosphere within the Assembly remains tense.
Speaking from Strasbourg, human rights defender Ahmad Shahidov shared his views in a video commentary from PACE. He noted that issues related to Azerbaijan are once again being raised during the session, while critical and often one-sided and biased approaches toward the country persist within the Assembly. According to Shahidov, the PACE platform has for years been used for speeches based on political sympathies rather than realities concerning Azerbaijan, particularly during the period of the Karabakh conflict, and this trend continues during the current session.
Ahmad Shahidov emphasized that the long absence of the Azerbaijani delegation from PACE sessions is a clear indication of strained relations between Baku and the Assembly. Nevertheless, he underlined that Azerbaijan remains a full member of both the Council of Europe and PACE, and that complete disengagement from this platform does not serve national interests in the long term. Shahidov stressed that despite biased attitudes within PACE, Azerbaijan’s return to the Assembly, voicing its position directly from the floor, and responding on the spot to unfounded accusations could prove to be a more effective and rational approach.
