Baku / 14.11.17 / Turan: "Reporters without borders" and 36 other international human rights organizations sent a letter to the leadership of the European Union, asking to use all existing opportunities and urge President Ilham Aliyev to stop oppressing human rights. The authors of the letter called for putting pressure on the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev in connection with this issue during the summit in Brussels on November 24, at which he will participate. The letter contains calls for the immediate unconditional release of political prisoners, especially independent journalists, about respect for human rights, the elimination of the ban on the departure of investigative journalist Khadija Ismail from the country. "We ask you to use the opportunities during the summit and urge President Aliyev to stop the bans and pressure on human rights, as well as to commit to human rights reforms in Azerbaijan," the letter said.
The authors of the letter emphasize that the recent steps taken by the Azerbaijani government have run counter to the spirit of cooperation with Europe. The letter notes the importance of efforts to end the wave of repression, stop the arrests of dissidents on trumped-up charges. "The Aliyev government destroyed the independent press, applied censorship on the Internet, tries to silence independent journalists, civil society and political activists," the letter said. The authors believe that any negotiations on cooperation between Azerbaijan and the EU depend on progress towards respect for fundamental human rights. -0-
Politics
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On December 23, Russian President Vladimir Putin sent a congratulatory message to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on the occasion of his birthday.
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The U.S. Embassy responded to the host of the "Həftə" ("Week") program, who once again accused the United States of pursuing an anti-Azerbaijani policy, using undiplomatic language.
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On Monday, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov, who is currently on a working visit to Belgrade, was received by Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić. According to the Azerbaijani Ministry of Foreign Affairs press service, during the meeting, both sides expressed satisfaction with the "strategic partnership between the two countries" and emphasized the importance of mutual high-level visits.
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On December 23, a meeting of the foreign ministers of Azerbaijan and Serbia took place in Belgrade. During the final press conference, Serbian Foreign Minister Marko Djuric reported that the discussions focused on the development of tourism. "We are strengthening efforts to open direct air routes, as well as economic development and energy," said Djuric. The minister expressed confidence that cooperation between Serbia and Azerbaijan would become even closer and more intensive in the near future.
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