Council of Europe designed draft Action Plan on Azerbaijan: representative to CE

Council of Europe designed draft Action Plan on Azerbaijan: representative to CEExclusive interview of Arif Mammadov, ambassador and Azerbaijan’s permanent representative to the Council OF Europe (CE), with Trend News.
Question: The CE Secretary General is expected to visit the region to assess plight of cultural heritage in Nagorno-Karabakh and other occupied lands of Azerbaijan. Chairman of the PACE Subcommittee on Cultural Heritage Edward O’Hara is also expected to make the same mission for a long time. What is the current state of solution of this question? Has the CE Secretariat received final list of damaged monuments? Are these missions expected to visit the region soon? What is the reason for delay of visit? 
Answer: The visit of the fact finding mission of the CE Secretary General to assess plight of cultural heritage in Nagorno-Karabakh and other occupied lands has been postponed. The Secretary General has sent letter to the sides in this regard.
There are many reasons for delaying visit. First of all, a number of issues must be coordinated. For example, it was originally decided that the mission will visit both Azerbaijan and Armenia. However, the list offered by the Council of Europe includes historical and cultural monuments only in Azerbaijani territory and occupied lands. The list did not include Azerbaijan’s historical and cultural monuments in Armenian territory as well as Azerbaijani cemeteries. Azerbaijan insisted on re-considering the list.
The route of the visit has not been coordinated as well. We argued that the visit to Nagorno-Karabakh must be made only through Azerbaijan’s territory. The experts whom the mission will include have not been selected yet. We insisted that the mission will include not only the CE representatives, but also experts with international experience. Armenia has also made some proposals. Both Azerbaijan and Armenia had questions regarding visit of O’Hara, PACE reporter on cultural heritage in South Caucasus. It was decided to organize meeting of heads of delegations in both Azerbaijan and Armenia and to discuss this issue once again as soon PACE Subcommittee on Nagorno-Karabakh resumes. O’Hara can be invited to this meeting. Appointment of a new chairman still stands on agenda after the demise of previous chairman Lord Russell Johnston. No meeting or discussions on the visit are expected to be held given the fact that freezing Armenian delegation’s powers will be examined during this session. The visit of the Secretary’s General’s fact finding mission and PACE reporter on cultural heritage in South Caucasus was postponed because of afore-said difficulties.
Question: The PACE launched a subcommittee in an effort to prevent conflicts in the territory of its member states. What is the focus of the subcommittee?
Answer: The subcommittee was launched on Nov. 17, 2008 at the meeting of the Political Affairs Committee in Paris. The subcommittee held its first meeting on Dec. 15. The need to launch the subcommittee appeared in wake of the Georgia-Russia conflict. The subcommittee will discuss conflicts in the territory of the CE member states. It has been founded very recently and the fields it will engage have not been specified. The subcommittee of the PACE bureau is expected to make proposals to prevent conflicts in the CE states in the January session.
Question: Has the Council of Europe designed a new action plan on Azerbaijan?
Answer: The CE has designed draft action plan on Azerbaijan. Azerbaijani authorities have made their proposals. The action plan covers 2008-2010. The proposals will be considered in early February at the next meeting of the Committee of Ministers. The action plan covers a variety of fields including continuation of reforms in judicial system, cooperation in the field of media, execution of the European Court decisions in Azerbaijan and simplifying internal procedures for examining these issues, continuation of reforms in penal system, development of democratic processes and civil society, securing social rights, introduction of the European Social Charter, inter-cultural dialogue, education, culture and national heritage. School of political science is the most successful project in the field of development of civil society implemented by the CE thus far. “The project will be continued. It covers significant layers of society. School of political science of Baku occupies prominent role and leads among CE participating countries. It is attached special importance.
Question: What steps does the CE plan to take regarding media, human rights and judicial system in Azerbaijan in 2009?
Answer: These issues are the key points of activities. Azerbaijan will continue cooperation with the CE in this sphere in 2009 as well. The action plan covers media, human rights, judicial system. Measures in this regard will be continued.
Question: How do you assess cooperation between Azerbaijan and Ago group? Is Ago group expected to visit Azerbaijan or South Caucasus in 2009?
Answer: Our cooperation with Ago Monitoring group of the CE Committee of Ministers is developing successfully. As you know, Ago group regularly informs the Committee of Ministers about its activity. On Feb. 6 a meeting of the group will take place, where further direction of its activity will be determined. Ambassadors of the countries included in Ago group will attend the meeting. Participants of the meeting will listen to a report on carrying out of reforms and referendum to be held in Azerbaijan on March 18. Bodies of the Azerbaijani government will receive traditional letters on the abovementioned and other issues early February. We should respond to them in a short period of time.
A final decision on Ago group’s next visit to Azerbaijan and its exact term has not been yet made. But, probably the visit may be implemented early June in 2009.
Question: Recently, the CE leadership has expressed its worry about stopping broadcasting foreign radio stations at the Azerbaijani national frequencies. What can you say about it?
Answer: A meeting with chairman of Ago group held on Jan. 15 focused on discussions of some issues, including stopping broadcasting foreign radio stations at the national frequencies. It was noted that this decision was made in line with the Azerbaijani legislation and these terms of the legislations do not contradict any documents or conventions of the CE. Most of the CE countries do not have such procedures and only national TV and radio channels are aired at the national frequencies. A regulation system was formed in this field in Azerbaijan, as only local radio stations, as well as medical emergency service and bodies of emergency situation are using the national frequencies in most of countries. Thus, an issue which is of juridical character should not be politicized.
Anyway, foreign radio stations can be aired at medium and short waves, through cable or satellite and internet. Azerbaijan has a system which regulates activity of radio broadcasting at the national frequencies and it was not directed against freedom of media.
Question: The Baku Declaration envisaging development of intercultural dialogue was adopted at the international conference on intercultural dialogue in Baku in December 2008. How do you assess work done in this direction? Which events are planned to hold in this field in 2009?
Answer: The international conference on intercultural dialogue organized in Baku on Dec. 2-3, 2008 was held at a high level compared to the CE’s conference in this field. Such number of ministers have never participated in conferences. Representatives of 48 countries attended the meeting. The conference drew great interest and attention. The Baku Declaration on intercultural dialogue testifies that Azerbaijan plays an important role in intercultural dialogue. I should note that this conference was in the centre of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s attention. Thus, under the President’s decree, long arrangements were held on this event. At the same time, I would like specially to note roles of Azerbaijani Culture and Tourism Minister Abulfaz Garayev and his deputy Sevda Mammadaliyeva. In 2008, the ministry held discussions and arrangements on this conference.
Some countries were jealous of adopting the Baku Declaration and beginning the Baku process and sought to prevent it under different pretexts. They wanted to boost their role on the issue of intercultural dialogue. The conference was professionally organized. The Ministry of Culture and Tourism and permanent representation were in close contact with Director General of Education, Culture and Heritage, Youth and Sport of the CE Gabriella Battaini-Dragoni and Director of Culture, Cultural and Natural Heritage Robert Palmer. Tit led to achieving significant results. The conference is an example for that Azerbaijan is prepared successfully to fulfill a role between East and West, as well as the Islamic world and the CE. The Council of Europe is currently paying special attention to implementing the Baku Declaration. Thus, it is planned to discuss principles of the Declaration at one of the next plenary meetings of the CE Committee on culture.
On the other hand, for the first time the CE together with officials of the Islamic countries (ALESCO, ISESCO) discussed issues at such a level. TURKSOY expressed intention to join the Baku process. The CE leadership was informed about this issue.
The Organization of the Islamic Conference announced Azerbaijan as a cultural centre of the Islamic countries in 2009 and this is one of significant events. The CE will attend all events in Baku within this period and thus, measures will be taken to implement the Baku process.
A lot of important issues were discussed at a conference in Baku. An initiative on Artists for dialogue was put forward. We will continue this initiative offered by our country. This initiative stresses significance of contribution of artists, actors and all figures of the field of development of intercultural dialogue. The initiative is under a project stage and its peculiarities will be specified after discussions with the CE Secretariat.
Question: The Venice Commission repeatedly stated its readiness to cooperate with Azerbaijan in improving the Election Code and developing a bill on Political Parties. Will the Azerbaijani government cooperate with the Venice Commission on these and other issues soon?
Answer: We are closely and successfully cooperating with the Venice Commission. Cooperation is a permanent process. Recommendations of the Venice Commission are not of insistent character and this fact is one of the peculiarities of the commission. Moreover, this peculiarity enables to create a normal atmosphere in bilateral cooperation. The commission assists Azerbaijan in improving legislative base, holding juridical examination of laws, as well as expresses its own opinion and assessment on different issues. /Trend/