Azerbaijan suspends talks on strategic partnership with EU

The official Baku has announced a possible revision of interrelations with the European Union (EU) in connection with the resolution adopted by the European Parliament and containing criticism of the human rights situation in Azerbaijan. The Azerbaijani Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) has cancelled the visit of the delegation of the European Commission to the country.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that the resolution on the situation with human rights, adopted by the European Parliament on September 10, urged Azerbaijani authorities to release journalists and rights defenders from imprisonment. The European Commission was recommended to introduce personal sanctions against the Azerbaijani politicians and judges involved in human rights violations.

Today, Ambassador Malena Mard, the head of the EU Delegation to Azerbaijan, was invited to the Azerbaijani MFA in the context of the above resolution, the press service of the MFA has reported.

Makhmud Mamedguliev, a Deputy Foreign Minister, has conveyed a negative reaction of the government to the resolution of the European Parliament. In his opinion, "the resolution is full of distorted information about the situation with human rights in Azerbaijan."

According to his version, the human rights issue is used as a "means of political pressure" on his country.

The reaction of the official Baku to the resolution of the European Parliament was expectedly wrathful, said Khikmet Gadjizade, the head of the Far Centre for Political and Economic Studies. However, in his opinion, the EU will progressively defend its values.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.