5. Post-Karabakh period, growing tensions and suspension
The dynamics between Azerbaijan and the Council of Europe shifted after 2020. That year, Azerbaijani forces regained military control over large parts of Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding districts. Buoyed by high public support and strong backing from Turkey, two years later, the government established complete control over the entire Nagorno-Karabakh through a swift military offensive. The operation prompted the exodus of nearly the whole of the Armenian population, an outcome condemned by PACE in a resolution on the humanitarian situation in Nagorno-Karabakh, highlighting the allegations of ″ethnic cleansing.”
The wording contributed to a long-term crisis in Azerbaijan’s relationship with the institution, as the Government strongly disputed the term. According to Azerbaijan’s official position, ethnic Armenians in Karabakh retained the right to live under Azerbaijani jurisdiction and no forced exodus took place. Baku also argued that it was Armenia’s occupation of Azerbaijani territories for nearly three decades that constituted the actual case of ethnic cleansing, reminding of the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Azerbaijanis in the early 1990s.
The Nagorno-Karabakh population issue resurfaced in January 2024, this time against the backdrop of the ongoing human rights crisis in Azerbaijan. Citing the country’s persistent failure to fulfil its core membership obligations, a new resolution highlighted restrictive legislation on civil society, the growing number of political prisoners, lack of judicial independence, the absence of free and fair elections, non-cooperation with PACE monitors, and the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Nagorno-Karabakh. On these grounds, the resolution challenged the credentials of the Azerbaijani delegation. A majority of parliamentarians supported suspending the delegation for a period of one year.
The resolution deliberately linked Azerbaijan’s human rights record with the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh, a strategy designed to secure broad support. However, this approach generated concern among exiled Azerbaijani civil society actors, who have consistently called on PACE to address the two issues separately.
In response, the Azerbaijani government announced its withdrawal from PACE during a hastily convened press conference held only hours before the scheduled vote. Officials further threatened to terminate Azerbaijan’s membership in the CoE. In their final statement, Azerbaijani representatives dismissed concerns about human rights. They accused PACE of holding a biased stance on Nagorno-Karabakh, while also referring to “Azerbaijanophobia“ and “Islamophobia” as an alleged motivation behind the decision.
As a retaliatory measure, Azerbaijani authorities barred all PACE members who had voted in favour of the resolution from entering the country. The decision was only made public several months later, sparking strong criticism and anger among parliamentarians.
The confrontation marked a new escalation of the crisis.
Despite discreet negotiations throughout late 2024, Azerbaijan did not agree to any concessions and continued to escalate its authoritarian trajectory. Independent media outlets were dismantled, dissent was further suppressed, and politically motivated prosecutions expanded.
Furthermore, the Azerbaijani authorities declined to invite a PACE election observation mission for the early parliamentary elections scheduled for September 2024, despite having extended an invitation to the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) of the OSCE.
The September 2024 elections, which ODIHR assessed as lacking pluralism and genuine political competition, could have provided an opportunity for Azerbaijan to nominate a new PACE delegation. However, no such delegation was appointed, underscoring Baku’s reluctance to re-engage with the Assembly under the current circumstances. PACE has reiterated that the release of political prisoners and resuming cooperation with PACE monitors remain a key prerequisite for Azerbaijan’s return.
On the latter matter, before its suspension from PACE, Azerbaijan had routinely refused or agreed only to limited cooperation with PACE rapporteurs.
Before she lost her parliamentary mandate in 2024, Hannah Bardell, Scottish MP and PACE rapporteur on “Threats to life and safety of journalists and human rights defenders in Azerbaijan“, closely monitored the worsening situation and had issued several statements condemning the widening wave of arrests of journalists and rights defenders. Due to Azerbaijan’s withdrawal from PACE, its crucial monitoring report has not been presented yet, following an unwritten rule that no discussion can take place on the country without its delegation’s presence.