Next call by the Azerbaijani Ombudsman to Ombudsmen of Europe

Elmira Suleymanova, the Commissioner for Human Rights (Ombudsman) of the Republic of Azerbaijan attended annual meeting of General Assembly of European Ombudsman Institute held in Bucharest.

Delivering a speech in a meeting, she emphasized the importance of the role Ombudsman Institutions and National Human Rights Institutes (NHRIs) play in implementation of Sustainable Development Goals, informed the participants about the Azerbaijani experience in this regard.

Touching upon the Merida Declaration adopted by Global Alliance of NHRIs of which Azerbaijani Ombudsman is also a member, talked about the functions and duties of human rights institutions mentioned in the Declaration. Later on, she called Ombudsman Institutes to solidarity and cooperation for the sake of restoration of peace and justice. She also made several proposals in this regard.

During the meeting, presentation of Ruben Melikyan, individual member of EOI, citizen of Armenia as an “Ombudsman” of so called Nagorno Karabakh Republic was prevented after the justified and persistent protest of the Azerbaijani Ombudsman. Azerbaijani Ombudsman protested several times in the past to the support given by EOI to separatist regime in occupied Azerbaijani land – Nagorno Karabakh. As a result of these protests “Ombudsman” of “Nagorno-Karabakh Republic” was dismissed from the institutional membership.

The Commissioner informed participants about the occupation of 20% of Azerbaijani lands by Armenian military forces, the situation of more than one million refugees and IDPs expelled from their native lands as a result of the occupation. She added that the UN Security Council adopted four resolutions regarding the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict that demands immediate, unconditional and complete withdrawal of Armenia forces from occupied Azerbaijani lands, have not been yet implemented by Armenia.