The situation in Azerbaijan's human rights and the development of civil society were discussed during the meeting of Foreign Ministers Elmar Mammadyarov and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor Thomas Melia. The meeting was held within the framework of the 21st session of the OSCE Ministerial Council, which takes place on December 4-5 in Basel, Switzerland.
According to the press service of the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry, during the meeting the sides exchanged views on the development of civil society and regional issues.
Mammadyarov said "dynamic" development of civil society, the provision of "comprehensive support" and holding "of successive reforms" by the state in this area.
On the issue of human rights, Mammadyarov said about the importance of attention to the restoration of the rights of more than one million Azerbaijani refugees and internally displaced persons affected by ethnic cleansing as a result of Armenian aggression.
The minister called on the international community to demonstrate a proactive stance on this issue, and the US - to make efforts to resolve the conflict and restore the most urgent rights of Azerbaijani refugees and internally displaced persons.
The press release from the Foreign Ministry did not specify what Melia said.
However, the very fact of the meeting between Mammadyarov and Melia is remarkable.
On the eve of the presidential elections in 2013 the Azerbaijani authorities refused to accept Melia, and his visit to Baku in the framework of a regional tour was canceled. This happened after during his previous visit to Azerbaijan in the spring of the same year Melia criticized the violation of human rights and civil society pressure.
Then he was attacked by pro-government media in Azerbaijan.
After US President Barack Obama in October called Azerbaijan among the countries where large problems for the development of civil society exist, Melia reiterated the possibility of his visit to Baku. -06D--
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