"Civil Society Platform" calls on to sign agreement with EU

On February 27, the "Civil Society Platform" addressed Azerbaijani people and the authorities of the country with the appeal. It is dated to the 20^th anniversary of the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement between the EU and Azerbaijan and the forthcoming visit to Baku of top-ranking members of the European Commission.

In the appeal, the authors have stated that the Azerbaijani authorities avoid fulfilment of their obligations under the Agreement and the integration into the European Union. In particular, it points to the refusal to sign the Association Agreement with the European Union, stipulated by the cooperation under the programme of "Eastern Partnership".

"The authorities have failed to fulfil the commitments to observe democratic principles and human rights, which are an important element of partnership between Azerbaijan and the EU," the appeal says.

Alesker Mamedli, a member of the "Civil Society Platform", has noted that the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement between Azerbaijan and the EU was signed on April 22, 1996, in Luxembourg and entered into force on July 1, 1999, "however, the past two decades became the time of missed opportunities for the democratization of the country."

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.