22/06/2023 | 19:40:06 Thank you Mister Chairman, In paragraph 17 we suggest replacing the words "consequences of the absence of free and safe access through" with the phrase "situation concerning". The European Court of Human Rights and International Court of Justice don't use the phrase "free and safe". The ECHR uses the phrase "safe access" and the International Court of Justice, "unimpeded movement". None of them means free movement. Freedom of movement is not an absolute right. Every European Convention... 22/06/2023 | 19:19:11 Dear Chairman, It is again about the addition of another paragraph, after paragraph 8, which again remains as it is. And it reads as follows, "The Assembly notes that Azerbaijan has established a border checkpoint on the interstate border with Armenia, in full compliance with international practice, and provides all necessary conditions for the movement of local Armenian residents in both directions. In this context, it deplores attempts by the Armenian side seeking to prevent local Armenians... 20/06/2023 | 18:41:16 Thank you, Mister Chairman. Dear Colleagues, This report has its own internal logic, but only if one accepts and agrees on its basic underlying assumptions. As a speaker on behalf of the European Conservatives Group, I would like to remind distinguished colleagues of the two core principles of conservatism: individual freedom and limited government. This draft reports, perhaps unintentionally, is capable of threatening both of these principles. Conservatism by definition rejects a holistic... 26/04/2023 | 19:34:58 Thank you, Madam Chair. I, first of all, would like to commend the rapporteur. I am especially grateful to him that he had time to visit Azerbaijan for three working days, and met with all relevant people in the government, opposition, civil society, defence lawyers, etc. And I am particularly grateful to our rapporteur that he had time to have a meeting with me and the chairman of our political party, former political prisoner, Mr Ilgar Mammadov, his name was already mentioned here. He is... 25/04/2023 | 17:48:53 Thank you Madam Chair, First of all, let me express my personal gratitude to the rapporteur. This is a very good report. We discussed it in the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights. Before continuing what I have in mind to say about this report, let me briefly comment on what our distinguished colleague from Armenia just said. I am personally very glad that Armenia and Azerbaijan took their disputes to the international courts now. Had we have done that 30 years before, we could... 26/01/2023 | 11:04:06 Thank you, Mr Chairman. Dear colleagues, I feel very proud to be part of this organisation at this particular time in history because I see how unanimous we are and how full-heartedly we support Ukraine in the committee meetings or plenary sessions, all resolutions reports and discussions, well, I saw the unanimity. And this particular report was also unanimously adopted in the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights, which I am also proudly a member of. And I am very grateful to our... 13/10/2022 | 11:48:27 Thank you, Mr Chairman. Dear colleagues, It has already been mentioned here that an ad hoc sub-committee this June visited Ukraine. I myself, as a member of that sub-committee, together with our colleagues, went to Kyiv, Bucha and Irpin. Everything that I saw and heard there was very familiar to me, because It reminded me of what had been happening in my country throughout all those 30 years of aggression and occupation. When the vice-mayor of the city of Irpin asked me if I had any question... 24/06/2022 | 11:45:39 Thank you, Mister Chairman. Dear colleagues, Initially I had something else to say in mind, but having heard what our Armenian and Azerbaijani colleagues said this morning, I can't help but to answer some of those. Many years ago I promised to myself not to be engaged in disputes of this kind. I kept loyal to my self-imposed obligations. I've seen a lot. I participated in many debates which turned out to be verbal battles between Armenians and Azerbaijanis in many places in Europe, in... 20/06/2022 | 15:21:53 Thank you Madam Chair, dear colleagues. I thank the rapporteur. I am more than sure that this draft report was conceived of, prepared and presented with good intention, yet I'm rather sceptical about it. First of all, as a lawyer myself, I seriously doubt that this draft report is needed, because most of the issues which are reflected in this report are already covered by existing rules of international and national legal systems. On the other hand, dear colleagues, let us take into account... 28/04/2022 | 11:35:43 Thank you, Mr Chairman. Let me start with congratulating the rapporteur for the draft report he has prepared. This draft is excellent. I call it excellent not only because of its content, not only because of the severe time limit within which it was prepared, but also because it elegantly challenges some of the well-established norms of public international law. And let us not be naive: some of the suggestions in this draft are quite radical. And that is why I understand why some of our...