Today, on January 30, the 2026 Winter Session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) concluded its work in Strasbourg, France. During the session, discussions focused on international security, regional conflicts, human rights, the war in Ukraine, the situation in the Middle East, as well as political and institutional challenges across the European space.
Commenting on the outcomes of the Winter Session for REAL TV, human rights defender Ahmad Shahidov provided an overall political assessment from Strasbourg. He noted that issues related to Azerbaijan were repeatedly raised throughout the session, and that debates were marked by critical, and often one-sided and biased, approaches toward the country. According to Shahidov, in several speeches political positions and selective attitudes prevailed over objective facts.
Ahmad Shahidov emphasized that the double standards observed toward Azerbaijan within PACE remain one of the main obstacles to the normalization of relations between Baku and the Assembly. At the same time, he stressed that Azerbaijan, as a full member of the Council of Europe, should not remain outside this platform. In his view, the return of the Azerbaijani delegation to PACE is a necessary step to articulate the country’s position directly from the floor, respond promptly to unfounded accusations, and defend national interests more effectively.
