Mr. Asaf Hajiyev, PABSEC Secretary General, participated in the Winter Session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), which was held in Strasbourg, on 23-27 January 2023.

On the first day of the session, the parliamentarians re-elected Mr. Tiny Cox, as President of the Assembly (Netherlands), elected 18 Vice-Presidents and appointed the Committee members.

The Assembly was addressed by Ms. Annalena Baerbock, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Germany, who called on PACE members to protect and promote the fundamental ideals of democracy and human rights.

During the Winter Session, the resolutions on the “Council of Europe Summit in Reykjavik: Uniting around values in the face of extraordinary challenges”, “Conflict-related sexual violence”, “The impact of armed conflicts on the environment”, were considered. Urgent issues were also discussed regarding topical issues in the region, including the aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine and the tensions between Pristina and Belgrade.

During this event, the Secretary General met with the PACE Secretary General, Ms. Despina Chatzivassiliou-Tsovilis. An agreement was reached to hold a meeting of the Secretaries General of the PACE member states in Istanbul, in cooperation with the PABSEC, in 2024. Mr. Asaf Hajiyev, PABSEC Secretary General, invited Ms. Despina Chatzivassiliou-Tsovilis, PACE Secretary General, to Istanbul, to participate in the Meeting of the Secretaries General of the Parliaments of the BSEC Member States, scheduled for April, this year. The issues of future cooperation between the two Assemblies were discussed.

On 25 January, the PABSEC Secretary General attended a presentation of a new collection of Azerbaijani carpets, which took place in the building of the Council of Europe, with the participation of Ms. Marija Pejcinovic-Buric, Secretary General of the Council of Europe.