Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev told the Shusha Global Media Forum on July 13 that long-term gas contracts were needed for Baku to expand production and said that Baku was considering leaving the Council of Europe.

Aliyev, as reported by EuroNews, said Azerbaijan was considering leaving the Council of Europe entirely, not just suspending its membership, after the The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) stripped Baku's delegation of its voting rights in 2024.

"We are unequivocally considering leaving that structure," he said, adding that the organization’s secretary general had personally asked him to reconsider.

Aliyev said Azerbaijan would only return to PACE once its delegation's voting rights were restored. "We have not taken any wrong steps," he said. "They have made an unjust decision. Therefore, they must step back and acknowledge their mistakes."

PACE suspended Azerbaijan’s voting rights in January 2024. The assembly took this action due to persistent concerns regarding the country's human rights record, free and fair elections, and the treatment of political prisoners.