Azerbaijan may quit Council of Europe, Aliyev says at Shusha media forum

Ilham Aliyev on leaving the Council of Europe

On July 13, President Ilham Aliyev addressed the opening ceremony of the 4th Global Media Forum in Shusha, held under the theme “The role of media in promoting peace: restoring truth and building trust.”

Among other things, he said Azerbaijan was considering withdrawing completely from the Council of Europe, described relations with the United States as being at their strongest, and called for the repeal of Section 907 of U.S. legislation, which restricts U.S. assistance to Azerbaijan.

Aliyev also expressed full support for Ukraine, saying it should not give up its territorial integrity.

The president also commented on increasing gas exports to Europe, difficult relations with France, the normalisation of ties with Russia on new terms and the need to turn the South Caucasus into a peaceful region free from geopolitical rivalry.

‘We are considering leaving the Council of Europe’

Speaking about Azerbaijan’s relations with the Council of Europe, Aliyev said the country was considering a full withdrawal from the organisation. He explained his position in detail:

“I regret that the situation has reached this point. In 2001, when I was a member of parliament, I headed Azerbaijan’s delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. I served there for two years and attended four sessions. What has happened is deeply disappointing for me.

In 2023, we exercised our legitimate right to liberate the territories that had remained under the control of separatists. Yet resolutions were adopted to punish Azerbaijan for doing so.

In January 2024, the credentials of Azerbaijan’s delegation were challenged and its members were stripped of their voting rights.

This was not simply about human rights. Had that been the case, such measures would have been taken much earlier. It was punishment for restoring our territorial integrity.”

Aliyev said Azerbaijan was now considering a complete withdrawal from the organisation.

“We are not considering suspending or freezing our membership. We are considering leaving the organisation altogether.

The Secretary General of the Council of Europe contacted me and asked us not to take this step, saying a solution should be found to improve the situation. The Parliamentary Assembly continues to issue highly questionable ultimatums to Azerbaijan. That is completely unacceptable.”

Aliyev said that if Azerbaijan were to leave the Council of Europe altogether, “no one in the country would notice” and that the situation might even improve.

He also said relations between Azerbaijan and the European Commission had improved since the departure of the EU’s former High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell. According to the president, ties had reached a deadlock during Borrell’s tenure but had since begun to recover.

“Since then, our relations have started to improve. We have clearly seen a mutual interest in restoring ties.

Over the past few months, several senior EU officials have visited Azerbaijan. In March, European Council President António Costa came to the country, followed by the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and European Commission Vice-President Kaja Kallas. In July, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also visited.

Their public statements, as well as my own, show that both sides are satisfied with the current level of cooperation.”

“Negotiations are ongoing to increase gas supplies to Europe”

“This year we began exporting gas to Austria and Germany. This is part of our broader strategy to strengthen our presence on the European and global markets. The European market is a premium market, offering the best prices, and naturally we are interested in expanding our presence there.

Today, we supply gas by pipeline to 16 countries. By this measure, Azerbaijan ranks first in the world, and our capacity will continue to grow.

We are also in talks with other European Union member states. Discussions cover both the launch of new supplies and increasing existing volumes. We have already received relevant requests.”

Relations with the US and Section 907

President Ilham Aliyev said Section 907 of the U.S. Freedom Support Act, which prohibits U.S. government assistance to Azerbaijan, had been promoted by senators with what he described as a pro-Armenian stance.

He argued that the measure was unfair and said former US President Joe Biden had been among its supporters.

“As a result, Azerbaijan was deprived of US financial assistance. It created the impression that Azerbaijan had imposed a blockade on Armenia, but that was simply not true.”

Aliyev said Section 907 had outlived its purpose and should now be repealed.

“First, with President Trump’s participation, Azerbaijan and Armenia initialled a peace agreement. In addition, Azerbaijan has unilaterally lifted all restrictions on Armenia.

Unfortunately, despite President Trump’s firm position, this amendment remains in force. The sooner the US Congress repeals it, the better it will be for both Azerbaijan and everyone else.”

The president said relations between Azerbaijan and the United States were now at their strongest. He described Donald Trump as a politician committed to achieving peace and said bilateral ties had been elevated to the level of a strategic partnership. According to Aliyev, all restrictions had been removed, reflecting the current state of relations.

Relations with France and colonial policy

President Ilham Aliyev said that criticism by Azerbaijani organizations of France’s colonial policy is unrelated to their bilateral relations.

“It has nothing to do with our bilateral relations with France. I hope my message will be understood correctly and heard in Paris, because today we are seeking to normalise relations with France.

They criticise us, we criticise them. This is not an attack but a working relationship between two sovereign states. Both countries are equal.”

Relations with Russia

Aliyev said relations between Azerbaijan and Russia had normalised and were developing positively.

“I would say that relations have been fully normalised. Contacts are taking place at various levels — between the governments, the co-chairs of the intergovernmental commissions, the foreign ministries and the presidential administrations. So I think everything is progressing well in this regard, and we welcome that.“

Ukraine: “We are doing everything we can for Ukraine, not for publicity, but sincerely”

“I will repeat the advice I gave Ukraine last year: do not get used to the conflict. And that is exactly how they [in Ukraine] are acting. Of course, they have been going through difficult times for many years, and we are all witnessing this.

We know that certain circles tried to put pressure on them. There were proposals to stop the fighting and accept the occupation. The Ukrainian people and government clearly refused to do so.

I am the leader of a country that also suffered from occupation. We have unique experience in this matter. We, too, were pressured to give up Karabakh.

No one in Azerbaijan, including myself, would ever have agreed to that, even though it was the position of the world’s three leading powers. They were permanent members of the UN Security Council, and it was very difficult to oppose that position.

I know President Zelenskyy’s position very well. We discussed this issue during his visit to Azerbaijan in April.

In any case, Azerbaijan’s position will remain unchanged. We have always supported, we support now, and we will continue to support Ukraine’s territorial integrity. We support its sovereignty and the inviolability of its borders.

We are doing everything we can for Ukraine, not for publicity, but sincerely.

There is a shared position at both the state and public levels: we must do everything possible to help a suffering people and a country whose territorial integrity has been violated.”

International cooperation and the South Caucasus

President Ilham Aliyev said the South Caucasus should become a region of peace and remain as free as possible from geopolitical rivalry.

“The most important thing is that everyone seeking to cooperate with the region should begin from the understanding that the South Caucasus must be a region of peace, cooperation and, as far as possible, free from geopolitical competition.”

He said the region had undergone profound change in recent years, arguing that the Second Karabakh War had marked a turning point and that the new reality required a different approach.

Aliyev also said Azerbaijan would not allow itself to be drawn into geopolitical rivalries and expressed the view that neighbouring countries should follow the same course.

Ilham Aliyev on leaving the Council of Europe