CoE interested in joint work with Azerbaijan’s state structures

By Azernews

By Kamila Aliyeva

The Council of Europe (CoE) is interested in strengthening its work with governmental structures in Azerbaijan, said Dragana Filipovic.

The head of the Council of Europe’s Office in Baku made the statement at the final conference of the PCF project to improve the efficiency and quality of judicial services in Azerbaijan on April 4.

Filipovic recalled that Azerbaijan has been a member of the Council of Europe since 2001.

"We jointly cooperate in ensuring the effective functioning of the judicial and legal system, and this cooperation is aimed at the accessibility of justice for all,” she said adding that in order to reduce the number of applications to the European Court, effective work of justice at the national level is important.

Between July 2015 and March 2017, the CEPEJ and judicial authorities of Azerbaijan co-operated actively to improve the efficiency of courts and the quality of judicial services. Designated pilot courts and the Justice Academy of Azerbaijan implemented tools developed by the CEPEJ in their day-to-day activities.

A team of CEPEJ experts representing the Netherlands, Switzerland, Slovenia, Estonia and Italy concluded on the 2-year cooperation process and presented a detailed final report on the court coaching programme, including an assessment of the pilot court’s results and a set of recommendations in view of further dissemination of CEPEJ tools in all courts of Azerbaijan.

Filipovic further noted the fruitfulness of the work carried out within the framework of the project.

"The project was successfully completed and created opportunities for new cooperation,” she said adding that areas for further joint work can be worked out.

 The project was organized within the framework of cooperation on the "Eastern Partnership" program of the Council of Europe and the EU for 2015-2017.

The Council of Europe has 47 member states, 28 of which are members of the 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 became the 43rd member state of the Council of Europe on January 25, 2001.