After gaining independence Azerbaijan has chosen the way of integration to Europe and therefore, on 25^th January, 2001 became a full member of the Council of Europe (CoE) as one of the leading regional organizations and until now joined to over 40 legal documents adopted by that organization.Amendments to make to the Constitutional Law on Ombudsman is the international obligation of Azerbaijan in a view to effectively protecting human rights and freedoms.

Main priority of bilateral cooperation of the Ombudsman Office of Azerbaijan and CoE is a cooperative relationship with the CoE Commissioner for Human Rights.

The Commissioner for human rights and staff of the Azerbaijani Ombudsman Office exchange their views and practical experience through participation in the field of human rights protection in different events organized by the CoE. The event participants are widely informed about the overall human rights activity of the Ombudsman Office and the human rights situation in the country.

Also, the Commissioner is a member of the European National Preventive Mechanism (NPM) Network created jointly by the CoE Directorate General Human Rights and Rule of Law and Association for Prevention of Torture (APT). One of the NPM group members was appointed as a focal point with the Network.

A specialized adviser of the Commissioner for coordination of the work with CoE is one of the important aspects of the active participation of the staff in the events organized within “Peer to Peer”-A Joint Project CoE and EU and broad exchange of practical experience.