Azerbaijan’s meeting its commitments to the Council of Europe (CE) and the Nagorno-Karabakh peace process were high on the agenda of PACE President Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu’s talks with the top officials of Azerbaijan, the PACE President told a news conference of the results of his visit to Azerbaijan.

He expressed hope that the parliamentary elections scheduled for this November will be even more democratic than the previous elections.

Responding to a question concerning the dispersion of a rally held by the Musavat Party, Çavuşoğlu stated that all the detainees have been released.

The freedom of assembly must be respected within the laws in effect, he said. The PACE President proposed a joint discussion with the participation of government officials and Opposition members to agree on the places for rallies on the threshold of parliamentary elections.

As regards the issue of releasing the bloggers Adan Gajizade and Emin Milli, Çavuşoğlu vaguely said that the issue was “touched upon,” and he is expecting progress.

Speaking of the Nagorno-Karabakh problem, the PACE President stated that the PACE Subcommittee will be re-formed and he plans to chair it.

T.P.