On September 11, 2019, on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the Council of Europe (CoE) and the French Chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers, the French - Azerbaijani University hosted a high level round-table international conference, entitled “Our Rights, our Freedoms, our Europe” organized by CoE Baku office in cooperation with the Embassy of France to Azerbaijan.

The conference brought together the President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Ms. Liliane Maury Pasquier, the Commissioner for Human Rights (Ombudsperson), Ms. Elmira Suleymanova, the Deputy-Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Mahmud Mammad-Guliyev, the Director General of Human Rights and Rule of Law of the Council of Europe, Mr. Christos Giakoumopoulos, Mr. Samad Seyidov, PACE Member, and other officials, including CoE Member and Observer States` Embassies in Baku, NGOs, media outlets. 

In her opening speech, Ms Liliane Maury Pasquier, the President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the CoE recalled that the values of the Council of Europe need more than ever to be promoted, carried and lived, on the European continent and beyond. Ombudsperson Ms. Elmira Suleymanova made a keynote speech noting that Azerbaijan has undertaken several international obligations, such that core human rights treaties have been ratified, human rights have been ensured in a way that all citizens can enjoy these rights on an equal basis. 

Bringing together leading academics, think tankers, opinion shapers, EU officials, this conference was poised to provide a platform to discuss the historic role of the Council of Europe in promoting human rights, democracy and the rule of law in Europe, as well as the current and future challenges to be met by the Organization and its Member States.

To recall, the Council of Europe is the continent's leading human rights organization. It includes 47 member states, 28 of which are members of European Union. All Council of Europe member states have signed up to the European Convention on Human Rights, a treaty designed to protect human rights, democracy, and the rule of law.

Azerbaijan joined the organization on January 25, 2001.

Sources used:

Council of Europe: https://www.coe.int/en/web/portal

Embassy of France to Azerbaijan: https://az.ambafrance.org/

The Comissioner for Human Rights of the Republic of Azerbaijan/ Ombudsman: http://www.ombudsman.gov.az/en/