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EU to follow authorities-opposition dialogue
AzerNews
23 Sept 04
The European Union is ready to cooperate with Azerbaijan within the
European Neighborhood Policy both in the political and economic
fields, the European Commission (EC) President Romano Prodi told a
press conference following his meetings with Azeri
government officials in Baku on Friday. Prodi visited Baku as part of
his tour of the South Caucasus region on September 16-17. The EC
President saidhe discussed the next steps following the EU's recent
decision to include Azerbaijan in the program with President Aliyev,
Prime Minister Rasizada, Parliament Speaker Alasgarov and Caucasus
Clerical Leader, Sheikh Pashazada.
"We would like to see the benefit of extended Europe both for
ourselves and the "new neighbors." Prodi noted that Azerbaijan will
"experience the advantage of entering the European Union's 500
million-people market". He added that implementation of the mentioned
policy is possible not exclusively for any country in the region but
only for all regional countries. "The EU has expressed a very clear
and firm position: by the "new neighborhood policy" we imply all the
three regional states - Azerbaijan, Armenia and Georgia."
Progress
The European Commission President Prodi said with regard to democratic
reform ongoing in Azerbaijan that the European Union believes that the
country has achieved considerable progress in this area. "We openly
state that important progress has been achieved in Azerbaijan in the
area of democracy and it needs to be further developed." Prodi said
that in his meeting with President Ilham Aliyev "a full range of
issues on freedoms, democratic development and transparency of
elections was discussed". "Our position is unequivocal and clear:
these are our priorities, which are very important, as the EU is based
on them", the EC President said. He said the EU will follow the
relations between the authorities and the opposition in
Azerbaijan. "There is no democracy without opposition and the EU will
definitely keep in spotlight the relations between the authorities and
opposition and trends for their getting closer."
Prodi underlined, however, that "in all South Caucasus countries, we
(European Union) did not fully agree with the results of elections,
which raised our concerns from various standpoints". Touching upon the
Upper Garabagh conflict settlement, he said the European Union
supports a dialogue between the Presidents and Foreign Ministers of
Azerbaijan and Armenia. However, the EUhas no plans to interfere with
the negotiations. Nonetheless, the EU is ready to assist in
establishing peace and providing assistance to refugees if the
conflicting sides reach an agreement.
EC offers assistance
The EC President Prodi said in a meeting with teachers and students of
the Baku State University on Friday that conflicts in the Caucasus are
unacceptable. Prodi stated that resolution of the Upper Garabagh
conflict depends on the conflicting sides. He said he supports the
peaceful settlement and that such conflicts have also arisen among the
European Union member-states in the past and were resolved within the
framework of economic reforms. In a meeting with Prodi on the same
day, Sheikhulislam Allahshukur Pashazada said that Armenia tried to
misinform the international community that its conflict with
Azerbaijan started on a religious basis. Pashazada pointed put that
this was not true and said the fact that Azerbaijanis are not willing
to live side by side with Armenians is the latter's delusion. "25,000
Armenians are living in Azerbaijan today. However, there is not a
single Azerbaijani living in Armenia," Pashazada stressed. Prodi said
that his visit to Baku aimed to put forward new proposals on
cooperation and pointed out that not only economic and but also
political relations between the EU and Azerbaijan will expand. "The
European community is open to your community. The involvement of
religion in this dialogue is therefore necessary," Prodi said and
added that the EC could assist in solving conflicts in the region.
AzerNews
23 Sept 04
The European Union is ready to cooperate with Azerbaijan within the
European Neighborhood Policy both in the political and economic
fields, the European Commission (EC) President Romano Prodi told a
press conference following his meetings with Azeri
government officials in Baku on Friday. Prodi visited Baku as part of
his tour of the South Caucasus region on September 16-17. The EC
President saidhe discussed the next steps following the EU's recent
decision to include Azerbaijan in the program with President Aliyev,
Prime Minister Rasizada, Parliament Speaker Alasgarov and Caucasus
Clerical Leader, Sheikh Pashazada.
"We would like to see the benefit of extended Europe both for
ourselves and the "new neighbors." Prodi noted that Azerbaijan will
"experience the advantage of entering the European Union's 500
million-people market". He added that implementation of the mentioned
policy is possible not exclusively for any country in the region but
only for all regional countries. "The EU has expressed a very clear
and firm position: by the "new neighborhood policy" we imply all the
three regional states - Azerbaijan, Armenia and Georgia."
Progress
The European Commission President Prodi said with regard to democratic
reform ongoing in Azerbaijan that the European Union believes that the
country has achieved considerable progress in this area. "We openly
state that important progress has been achieved in Azerbaijan in the
area of democracy and it needs to be further developed." Prodi said
that in his meeting with President Ilham Aliyev "a full range of
issues on freedoms, democratic development and transparency of
elections was discussed". "Our position is unequivocal and clear:
these are our priorities, which are very important, as the EU is based
on them", the EC President said. He said the EU will follow the
relations between the authorities and the opposition in
Azerbaijan. "There is no democracy without opposition and the EU will
definitely keep in spotlight the relations between the authorities and
opposition and trends for their getting closer."
Prodi underlined, however, that "in all South Caucasus countries, we
(European Union) did not fully agree with the results of elections,
which raised our concerns from various standpoints". Touching upon the
Upper Garabagh conflict settlement, he said the European Union
supports a dialogue between the Presidents and Foreign Ministers of
Azerbaijan and Armenia. However, the EUhas no plans to interfere with
the negotiations. Nonetheless, the EU is ready to assist in
establishing peace and providing assistance to refugees if the
conflicting sides reach an agreement.
EC offers assistance
The EC President Prodi said in a meeting with teachers and students of
the Baku State University on Friday that conflicts in the Caucasus are
unacceptable. Prodi stated that resolution of the Upper Garabagh
conflict depends on the conflicting sides. He said he supports the
peaceful settlement and that such conflicts have also arisen among the
European Union member-states in the past and were resolved within the
framework of economic reforms. In a meeting with Prodi on the same
day, Sheikhulislam Allahshukur Pashazada said that Armenia tried to
misinform the international community that its conflict with
Azerbaijan started on a religious basis. Pashazada pointed put that
this was not true and said the fact that Azerbaijanis are not willing
to live side by side with Armenians is the latter's delusion. "25,000
Armenians are living in Azerbaijan today. However, there is not a
single Azerbaijani living in Armenia," Pashazada stressed. Prodi said
that his visit to Baku aimed to put forward new proposals on
cooperation and pointed out that not only economic and but also
political relations between the EU and Azerbaijan will expand. "The
European community is open to your community. The involvement of
religion in this dialogue is therefore necessary," Prodi said and
added that the EC could assist in solving conflicts in the region.