Germany on Saturday criticised Azerbaijan for not allowing members of parliament into the country ahead of the UN climate conference due to be held in Baku in November.
Azerbaijan is set to host the next UN climate conference from November 11 to 22, but Baku has imposed entry bans on 76 lawmakers from the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe over their criticism of human rights violations in the country.
Among those denied entry were four members of the German parliament: Frank Schwabe, Heike Engelhardt, Andrej Hunko and Max Lucks, according to newspapers belonging to the Funke media group.
According to a spokeswoman for the German Foreign Ministry, Baku’s decision is “incompatible with Azerbaijan’s obligations within the Council of Europe”.
The Council of Europe is an international organisation that aims to protect human rights, democracy and the rule of law on the continent.
The 46 members include all 27 EU countries, as well as countries such as the United Kingdom, Turkey and the Caucasus republics of Azerbaijan, Georgia and Armenia.
Germany and the 14 other countries affected by the decision issued a statement condemning Azerbaijan’s decision at a meeting of the Committee of Ministers in Strasbourg.
