Azerbaijan–EU Relations

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Azerbaijan

Baku accuses West of interfering in its affairs by funding AbzasMedia

by Ismi Aghayev

•2 min read

Azerbaijan has accused the US, France, and Germany of interfering in the country’s internal affairs by funding AbzasMedia, an independent news outlet raided by the police last week. On Tuesday, the Azerbaijani Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned French Ambassador Anne Boillon, German Ambassador Ralf Horlemann, and acting US Ambassador Hugo Guevara to discuss their countries’ funding of AbzasMedia. According to their statement, during the meetings the ministry accused the United States Agen

Azerbaijan

EU condemns ‘totally unacceptable’ threat from Azerbaijani ambassador

by Robin Fabbro

•3 min read

The EU has condemned an apparent threat to members of the European parliament by Azerbaijan’s ambassador to the EU, Vagif Sadigov. Sadigov, who also serves as the country’s ambassador to Belgium and Luxembourg, tweeted on 23 June in response to a visit by a delegation of MEPs to Armenia which travelled close to the border with Azerbaijan. Sadigov posted an image and description of an Azerbaijani-produced sniper rifle with the following caption: ‘They know what they are doing to protect the

Azerbaijan

Ilham Aliyev looks West

by Ismi Aghayev

•5 min read

Since the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War, and especially following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has given indications that he will take the country towards deeper cooperation with the West. While Ilham Aliyev has always been a very flexible political actor, often making overtures to both Russia and the West, recent speeches and projects announced by the president, especially in light of the European energy crisis sparked by the war in Ukraine, are not only sign

Armenia

EU Parliament condemns destruction of Armenian heritage in Nagorno-Karabakh

by Ani Avetisyan

•3 min read

The European Parliament has adopted a resolution that ‘strongly condemns Azerbaijan’s continued policy of erasing and denying the Armenian cultural heritage in and around Nagorno-Karabakh’. The resolution, which was adopted with 635 votes to two, with 42 abstentions, referred to 1,456, mainly Armenian monuments that came under Azerbaijani control after the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War. It came after the Azerbaijani authorities announced plans to erase Armenian inscriptions on churches Azerb

Afgan Mukhtarli

Opinion | The EU Parliament makes it clear — no deal for Azerbaijan unless it improves its rights record

by Volodymyr Soboliev

•4 min read

The European Parliament, the EU’s elected representatives, have made clear they will not ratify a deal with Azerbaijan unless it improves it’s human rights record. The European Commission should now follow through with a clear message — Azerbaijan’s crackdown on dissent must end and political prisoners freed. The European Parliament adopted a resolution on 4 July, reiterating its commitment to strengthening ties with Azerbaijan, but not at the expense of human rights. In fact, parliam

Azerbaijan

EU Parliament says no deal until Azerbaijan frees political prisoners

by OC Media

•3 min read

The European Parliament has said it will not ratify a comprehensive agreement with Azerbaijan if the country ‘does not respect fundamental EU values and rights’. In Wednesday’s plenary session, parliament instructed the European Council, European Commission, and specifically EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini to prioritise fundamental freedoms and the fight against corruption in ongoing negotiations with the authorities in Baku. In a press release following the plenary session, P

Afgan Mukhtarli

Azerbaijan under fire over sentencing of abducted journalist Mukhtarli

by OC Media

•3 min read

The EU, US, OSCE, and local and international rights groups have urged Azerbaijani authorities to release Azerbaijani journalist Afgan Mukhtarli, who was sentenced on 12 January to 6 years in prison. Georgian authorities have also faced criticism for a the slow pace of the investigation into his abduction from Tbilisi. The US State Department said in a 12 January statement they were ‘disturbed’ by Mukhtarli’s sentencing, and that charges against him were ‘widely considered to be politically