European Union and Azerbaijan: business is more important than human rights

Baku/18.07.18/Turan: Prior to Ilham Aliyev's visit to Paris, influential newspaper Liberacion published an article criticizing the European Union. The author of the article, Caroline Vine, writes that the EU-Azerbaijan relations are a game of "deceivers". EU radio receiving hydrocarbons, prefers to understate the role of human rights. Europe seeks to free itself from the dependence of Russian gas and oil, and tries to strengthen ties with Azerbaijan.

The parties are preparing to sign a partnership agreement, where it will be said about the need to observe the "values ​​and fundamental rights of the EU". However, will these conditions be respected? So the case with Ilgar Mamedov makes one doubt the intentions of Baku. Mamedov has been in prison for five years and he is not released, despite the two judgments of the European Court of Human Rights.

"The EU is very weak to make people respect human rights. Azerbaijan ignores European decisions and political prisoners remain in prison," said Leila Yunus, former political prisoner and head of the Institute for Peace and Democracy. She also criticized Europe for not wanting to respond to facts of torture of people, as it was recently during the events in Ganja and plans to implement new commercial projects in Azerbaijan. -02D-