Strasbourg, 25 January 2001. The Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan - Robert Kotcharian and Heydar Aliyev - pledged their future commitment to Council of Europe values as their countries today joined the organisation.
The two Presidents agreed that despite the cease-fire, peace had not yet been established. They hoped that membership of pan-European organisation would offer the necessary forum to find a just and lasting solution to the situation in Nagorno Karabakh. They stressed that the resolution of regional conflicts was essential to strengthen Europe's democratic stability. They expressed thanks to the Council of Europe for its help and cooperation over the past years, which had been a great contribution in the democratic development of their countries.
President Aliyev said that his country had taken the Council of Europe's principles and standards into account before becoming a full member, so that new laws had been developed with direct participation by Council of Europe experts. Many reforms had taken place, such as improvements in the running of the system of justice, abolition of the death penalty, and reform of the prison system. The freedom of the media and unimpeded development of non governmental organisations had been ensured, he said.
The ceremony can be followed live on the Council of Europe Internet site at the following address: http://dct.coe.int/apnet/accession.html