European Parliament: presidential elections in Azerbaijan did not meet international standards

 On its session in Strasbourg on October 23 The European Parliament adopted a resolution on the European neighbourhood Policy.

In the part of this document devoted to Azerbaijan, European Parliament says that “ Regrets that an unclear vision and hesitation persist on the issue of Azerbaijan’s pursuit of the Association Agreements; stresses the economic potential of EU-Azerbaijan relations, but is concerned by deficiencies in the fields of democracy, the rule of law and human rights in Azerbaijan; insists therefore that Azerbaijan show its commitment by stepping up its relevant standards, including freedom of speech and association and allowing the democratic opposition to enjoy their rights; insists that the release of political prisoners and an end to the harassment of political activists, human rights defenders and journalists are the necessary preconditions for any agreement on a strategic modernization partnership with Azerbaijan;

Deplores the lack of respect for international standards shown in the run-up to the presidential elections which took place on 9 October 2013, including candidates being denied registration on procedural grounds, and calls for the immediate and unconditional release of the 14 Azerbaijani opposition politicians, journalists and human rights activists imprisoned during the past months, including Tofiq Yaqublu and Ilgar Mammadov;

Regrets the lack of vision and hesitation shown by the Union with regard to the AAs and DCFTA, as a consequence of failing to understand the strategic role of Azerbaijan in economic, geopolitical and cultural terms”. -0-