Azerbaijan signs Fourth Additional Protocol to European Convention on Extradition

Azerbaijani Minister of Justice Fikrat Mammadov has signed the Fourth Additional Protocol to the European Convention on Extradition in the presence of the Secretary General of the Council of Europe Marija Pejčinović Burić in Strasbourg, France.

The European Convention on Extradition has been ratified by 50 countries. In Azerbaijan, the Convention has been in force since 2002. It provides for the extradition between parties of persons wanted for criminal proceedings or for the carrying out of a sentence. The treaty does not apply to political or military offences and any Party may refuse to extradite its own citizens to a foreign country.

The Fourth Additional Protocol amends and supplements a number of provisions of the Convention on Extradition in order to adapt it to modern needs. The protocol’s provisions relate to the issues of the lapse of time, requests and supporting documents, rule of specialty, transit, re-extradition to a third State and channels and means of communication.

Following the signing ceremony, Minister Fikrat Mammadov met with Secretary General of the Council of Europe Marija Pejčinović Burić.

Minister Mammadov congratulated Pejčinović Burić on assuming office as secretary general this year which coincided with the 70th anniversary of founding of the Council of Europe. He hailed the close cooperation between Azerbaijan and the Council of Europe and highlighted the effectiveness of joint projects.

Minister Mammadov emphasized that justice and legal reforms were continuing at a new stage in accordance with President Ilham Aliyev`s instructions.

Describing Azerbaijan as an important partner for the Council of Europe, Burić pointed out the fruitful visits of the president and head of the Directorate General Human Rights and Rule of Law to Azerbaijan. She highly appreciated the ongoing judicial reforms in the country, affirming readiness to provide support in this regard.

The Azerbaijani minister also provided an insight into the consequences of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Armenia`s ongoing military aggression against Azerbaijan and the displacement of more than one million Azerbaijanis who became refugees and IDPs.

Permanent Representative of Azerbaijan to the Council of Europe, Ambassador Fakhraddin Ismayilov was also present at the meeting.