EU president urges Azerbaijan to improve rights record
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 5 July 2012 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, EU president urges Azerbaijan to improve rights record, 5 July 2012, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/500025261e.html [accessed 27 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
July 05, 2012
EU President Herman van Rompuy has called on the government of Azerbaijan to improve civil and political rights in that oil-rich former Soviet republic.
Van Rompuy said on July 5 that the European Union is interested in "a stable, progressive, and tolerant Azerbaijan."
He welcomed the release last week of nine opposition supporters jailed for participating in a rally in 2011, saying more such steps were needed.
He made the comments following talks with President Ilham Aliyev in Baku.
Van Rompuy also called on Azerbaijan and Armenia to avoid further violence in their long-running dispute over Nagorno-Karabakh, a predominantly ethnic Armenian enclave within Azerbaijan.
Based on reporting by AFP and ITAR-TASS
Link to original story on RFE/RL website
