On August 27, Theodoros Rousopoulos, the President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), responded to Azerbaijan's decision to officially declare several PACE members as undesirable persons, stating that such actions are counterproductive. 

Roussopoulos emphasized that this move only complicates Azerbaijan's position within the Council of Europe, noting that member states are expected to adhere to democratic standards. He criticized the blacklisting of those who vote according to their conscience, stating that it would only have the opposite effect.

In an interview published on August 23, Frank Schwabe, a German PACE MP, expressed his belief that Azerbaijan is not committed to its membership in the Council of Europe. He accused the country of failing to uphold the values promoted by the Council and criticized the lack of an invitation for PACE to observe the elections to the Azerbaijani Parliament. Commenting on his designation as "persona non grata" by Baku, Schwabe remarked, "It is an honor to be declared an undesirable person for calling a dictator a dictator."

Schwabe went on to highlight the severe consequences faced by those who oppose the Azerbaijani government, noting that while critics are punished, those who praise the regime and cover up human rights abuses are rewarded. He described the situation as "very bad for the people of Azerbaijan," with "hundreds and thousands of people crushed, arrested, and tortured" under what he called the dictatorship of Ilham Aliyev. Ahead of the World Climate Conference, Schwabe demanded the immediate release of political prisoners, explicitly mentioning Anar Mammadli and Gubad Ibadoglu.

Notably, the MPs who voted against the Azerbaijani delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) have been declared persona non grata in Azerbaijan. Until the mandate of the Azerbaijani delegation to PACE is restored, they will not be allowed to enter the territory of Azerbaijan.

This was stated by the head of the press service of the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry, Aykhan Hajizade, commenting on statements made by PACE member, German MP Frank Schwabe, in an interview with Radio Liberty.