Language Research
7. International treaties: Did the country ratify any international treaty dealing with the protection of minorities?
Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities ratified on June 26, 2000 and enacted on October 1, 2000.
Updated (January 2001)
Agshin Mekhtiev, the permanent representative of Azerbaijan in the Council of Europe, signed the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. He signed it in the presence of Deputy Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Hans Christian Krag. At the same time, Mekhtiev also signed the European Charter of Local Self-Government and the European Convention for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.
Updated (August 2002)
A number of international treaties of the Republic of Azerbaijan with the neighbouring states have the provisions concerning the protection of the rights of persons belonging to national minorities.
Thus, in the Treaty between Azerbaijan and Georgia on Strengthening the Friendship, Co-operation and Mutual Security (March 8, 1996), the parties confirmed their readiness to create conditions to disseminate historical, cultural and language information on Azerbaijan in Georgia and vice versa, to use languages in pre-school, secondary and higher educational institutions and to circulate literature and textbooks in the Azerbaijani and Georgian languages (Article10).
The parties guaranteed the right of persons belonging to national minorities to exercise wholly and effectively their human rights and basic freedoms and enjoy them without any discrimination and under the conditions of absolute equality before the law, in accordance with the generally recognised international legal norms. The parties also guaranteed the right of persons belonging to national minority freely to express, preserve and develop their ethnic, cultural, linguistic and religious identity and to maintain and develop their culture without subject to any attempts of assimilation regardless of their will.
The Declaration on the further deepening of the strategic co-operation between the Republic of Azerbaijan and Georgia was signed on February 18, 1997, the parties expressed readiness to promote and develop the identity of Azerbaijanis, residing in Georgia and Georgians residing in Azerbaijan, as well as to ensure their rights to enjoy their culture, to profess and practice their religion, to use freely their language in private life and publicly.
In Joint Declaration of the Presidents of the Republic of Azerbaijan and Georgia of March 22, 2000, the Heads of two states once again expressed adherence to democratic transformation, protection of human rights as well as respect of the rights of national minorities.
The similar treaty was signed between the Republic of Azerbaijan and Russian Federation on July 3, 1997.
Source: State Reports, June 4, 2002, Council of Europe,
http://www.humanrights.coe.int/Minorities/Eng/FrameworkConvention/StateReports/Toc.htm
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