Eyeing on comprehensive diplomatic efforts to enhance respect for universal human rights in an environment where they are being attacked, top European envoy on human rights visited the U.S. Capital this week to encourage joint actions against global rights violators.
"When it comes to human rights, EU and US should work 'hand in hand,' Stavros Lambrinidis, European Union's special representative for human rights, said at Freedom House on Friday, September 25.
'Human rights not only EU/US policy; but not raising traumatizes credibility,' he said. ''People sometimes ask me; you're raising our problems, but what about Europe's immigration and other problems? Our answer to them is, no one is perfect but that doesn't mean that everyone is imperfect.'
"If any country begins pushing on an argument that human rights is a tool or made by the West against them, it's not right... Human rights are universal and they have never been a battle between different cultures and political systems," he added.
EU believes that fostering communication between civil society and governments should be a key way to address global rights problems. Brussels' top priority is to enlarge our multilateral coalitions on human rights.
As for Europe's immigration problem, EU 'must be consistent internally to successfully project values abroad.'
Speaking about European Parliament's recent resolution calling for the release of political prisoners in Azerbaijan, Lambrinidis said, Baku's response to it was an overreaction.
He also called on countries with poor records to be honest about human rights concerns.
A.Raufoglu
Washington, D.C.
Politics
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On January 23, the Baku Court of Appeal considered the complaint of Meydan TV journalist Natig Javadli against the refusal to transfer him to house arrest.
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On January 23, the Deputy Commander of the Azerbaijani Ground Forces, Ilgar Latifov, met with a Pakistani delegation headed by the Director General of Military Operations, Abdullah Kashif. The parties discussed the state and prospects for the development of military cooperation between Azerbaijan and Pakistan, as well as the importance of increasing the intensity of joint exercises.
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The announcement of 2025 as the "Year of the Constitution and Sovereignty" in Azerbaijan has sparked rumors and speculation about the government's plans to hold a constitutional referendum this year. Today's statement in the Milli Majlis by the head of the parliamentary committee on human rights and concurrently the director of the Center for Humanitarian Studies, Zahid Oruj, confirmed that these expectations are not groundless.
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As part of the peace process with Azerbaijan, Armenia has proposed solutions to all agenda issues, stated Armen Grigoryan, Secretary of Armenia's Security Council, on January 23. "We are not asking for peace, we are offering peaceful solutions to all existing issues. For the two unresolved points, we have sent proposals and are waiting for a response from the Azerbaijani side. We hope that we will find solutions," Grigoryan said, according to Armenian media. Meanwhile, the press service of Azerbaijan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs told Turan that "negotiations on the text of the peace agreement are ongoing."
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