PACE could fall apart

By Vestnik Kavkaza

On February 27-28 co-reporters of the PACE Assembly will present the results of their visit to Azerbaijan at the session of the Monitoring Committee. APA reports, citing the press service of the PACE, that the co-reporters of the Monitoring Committee on Azerbaijan, Joseph Debono Grech and Pedro Agramunt, will present the results of their visit to Nakhichevan and Baku, where they were in late January and met the head of the Presidential Administration, the Minister of Justice, the General Prosecutor, the head of the Supreme Court, representatives of parliamentary and opposition parties and social activists.

At the beginning of the winter session of the PACE, Alexei Pushkov, head of the Russian Duma Committee for Foreign Affairs, was elected the head of the political group of European Democrats of the Assembly. “The faction of the European Democrats includes representatives of Russia, the UK, Turkey, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Serbia, Iceland and Norway - 80 people in general. Russia now has wider opportunities for influencing the agenda of the PACE,” Pushkov stated after his return from Strasbourg. The position of the head of a faction means that he will be a member of the Presidential Committee, which is the main consultative body of the PACE. That’s where political decisions are made.

According to Pushkov, in Strasbourg the topic of the discussed resolution was “On the Functioning of Democratic Institutions in Ukraine.” “The topic is clear. It is connected with the PACE mandate, i.e. human rights, supremacy of law, democracy – aspects which cause no disputes. Suddenly, the 4th item of the resolution accuses Russia of putting “pressure on Ukraine” and reminds Russia that it cannot act within the so-called concept of “the near abroad,” i.e. the zone of special interests of Russia. It says that economic pressure on Ukraine is unacceptable. Is there anything in common with democracy and human rights and democratic institutions in Ukraine?” Pushkov boils over. “First of all, if anybody put pressure on Ukraine, these were the EU countries. Secondly, what special spheres of influence are there, if the concept of “the near abroad” hasn’t been mentioned in official Russian documents for 20 years? We are judged for a term which is used by political scientists. We are accused of using political sanctions against Ukraine.” At the same time, Pushkov recalls that the EU has used sanctions against Iran for changing its policy during 15 years.

However, the resolution was adopted by the EU majority which dominates in the PACE, and Pushkov believes “the organization is at a crucial point in its development. And now everything depends on the choice of direction – whether it will become an all-European organization and accumulate its power or it will turn into a branch of the EU. Many people don’t want it in Europe, as the EU is only a part of Europe. So, if such documents are adopted and the EU countries impose such documents on the Assembly, it will move toward a clash.”

Meanwhile, Pushkov told Vesti.Az that “Azerbaijan’s rejection of the association agreement with the EU is connected with the fact that the association requires unilateral dependence of countries of the Eastern Partnership on Brussels. For Azerbaijan it is very important to have mutual benefits from this or that integration. The association agreement offers the states to tighten their belts and launch strict financial discipline to meet the IMF requirements. The EU thought that it was so attractive that the states of the Eastern Partnership would sign anything proposed to them. However, Azerbaijan, Ukraine and Armenia didn’t sign. The EU demonstrated arrogance and an inferiority complex toward the countries. They thought the countries would sign anything they proposed to them. On the other hand, they didn’t work out a system of convincing reasons for the states.”