Germany has criticized Azerbaijan for not allowing lawmakers to enter the country ahead of the U.N. climate conference in Baku in November.
Azerbaijan will host the next U.N. climate change conference on Nov. 11-22, but Baku has banned the entry of 76 lawmakers from the CE Parliamentary Assembly over their criticism of human rights violations in the country. Four members of Germany’s Bundestag, who are also on the “black list”, namely Frank Schwabe, Heike Engelhardt, Andrej Hunko and Max Lax, considered Baku’s move incompatible with the commitments undertaken by Azerbaijan in the Council of Europe.
The Council of Europe is an international organization that aims to protect human rights, democracy and the rule of law on the continent. Its 46 members include all 27 EU countries, as well as countries such as the U.K., Turkey and the Caucasian republics of Azerbaijan, Georgia and Armenia. Germany and 14 other countries affected by the decision issued a statement condemning Azerbaijan’s move at the meeting of the Committee of Ministers in Strasbourg.
