High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission Kaja Kallas answered questions by Emmanouil Fragkos, Member of European Parliament on EU- Azerbaijan relations, human rights situation in Azerbaijan and Kallas’s recent meeting with Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov. The EP press office handout reads:
“Answer given by High Representative/Vice-President Kallas on behalf of the European Commission.
Human rights and the rule of law in Azerbaijan remain a priority for the EU and are at the core of the EU-Azerbaijan bilateral relations.
The EU has repeatedly voiced concerns regarding the unsettling rise of arrests of independent journalists, human rights defenders, and political activists.
The EU has called on the Azerbaijani authorities to ensure that their actions adhere to the relevant obligations under domestic and international law.
In this context, the EU has consistently called for the release of all persons imprisoned for exercising their fundamental rights. These messages have been conveyed publicly and bilaterally at all levels, including at the level of the High Representative/Vice-President.
EU engagement with Azerbaijan remains instrumental in order to promote peace, stability and prosperity in the South Caucasus through regional cooperation, including in the context of the normalisation process between Azerbaijan and Armenia.
The HRVP has welcomed the recent finalisation of negotiations between the two countries on a bilateral peace treaty and has called on them to keep this momentum and ensure the smooth completion of this process”.
