Sources: European Parliament, Contact.az, News.az, 1news.az, NY Times
The EU Eastern Partnership summit wrapped up on May 22, 2015 in Riga with a joint
declaration
and mixed messages about the prospects of post-Soviet states for entering the EU.
“Nobody promised that Eastern Partnership would be an automatic way to membership in the European Union,” EU President Donald
Tusk
said. German Chancellor Angela Merkel stated that the Eastern Partnership was not an instrument for EU expansion.
The summit brought together leaders of 28 European states with leaders from six neighboring countries, including Azerbaijan represented by Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov.
Azerbaijan expressed reservations about the joint declaration. Deputy Head of the Presidential Administration of Azerbaijan Novruz Mammadov complained about an unfair treatment toward Azerbaijan during the summit,
News.az
reported.
“An organized and coordinated campaign is being held against Azerbaijan on some issues. Within a few weeks, there were a number of various processes, hearings, media reports, TV programs which do not reflect the real situation. The Azerbaijani side promptly responds and will respond to it,” he told Azerbaijani reporters in Riga.
It was earlier reported that Azerbaijan did not sign the Riga joint declaration.
1news.az
quoted Mammadov as saying that the declaration did not fit the spirit of cooperation between Azerbaijan and the EU. Azerbaijan was particularly dissatisfied with the EU position toward the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
However, Azerbaijan eventually joined the declaration on condition that its suggestions would be considered in the future.
Meanwhile,
European Parliament
President Martin Schulz said on May 22, 2015 that “the conviction of human rights defenders in Azerbaijan violates the very values the Eastern Partnership is founded on.”
Schulz also said that the internal structures of Azerbaijan and Belarus are contrary to the basic European values,
contact.az
reported.
