AZE.US
Azerbaijan could withdraw from the Council of Europe after the 2028 parliament election, Azerbaijani politician Ilgar Mammadov has said.
Mammadov, a co-founder of the REAL Party, made the remarks while commenting on recent statements by President Ilham Aliyev about the possibility of Azerbaijan reconsidering its membership in the organization.
Writing on Facebook, Mammadov argued that the government may have the legal authority to leave the Council of Europe, but does not yet have a sufficiently strong political mandate for such a major decision.
According to him, raising the issue two years before the next election may be intended to prepare the public and turn the matter into part of the future electoral debate.
“Positions expressed before an election effectively become political promises,” Mammadov wrote. He argued that support received at the ballot box could later be presented as public authorization to carry out such a step.
Mammadov recalled that Azerbaijan’s accession to the Council of Europe in 2001 was also preceded by several years of political preparation. He said the same principle could now be applied in reverse if the authorities decide to pursue withdrawal.
He noted that voters who backed the ruling New Azerbaijan Party in the 2024 election were not aware that leaving the Council of Europe might become part of the government’s agenda.
Now, he said, citizens have been informed of that possibility and will be able to take it into account when voting in 2028.
“The decision now belongs to the citizens,” Mammadov wrote. “They know that after the election, the ruling party may take Azerbaijan out of the Council of Europe.”
Mammadov said he personally opposed further distancing Azerbaijan from the European political space.
In his view, such a move would accelerate the country’s transformation into a Middle Eastern-style state and weaken the European component of Azerbaijan’s political and national identity.
He also pointed to the importance of the European Court of Human Rights for Azerbaijani citizens seeking legal protection in cases involving property disputes, unlawful demolitions or other alleged rights violations.
Mammadov argued that the 2028 election could therefore become a broader choice over whether Azerbaijan should remain connected to Europe’s political and legal institutions.
AZE.US