EU on Azerbaijan Decision to Close OSCE Office in Baku

• 09.22.2015, 19:13
•  Region,  World

During  Human Dimension Implementation Meeting (HDIM) of OSCE, which started in Warsaw on 21 September 2015, the European Union called on Azerbaijan to abide by its international obligations to respect human rights and fundamental freedoms and implement reforms to guarantee the rule of law, an independent judiciary and access to fair trials for all.

The statement posted in the EU website particularly reads:

"We regret the government's decision to close the Office of the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Baku. The EU strongly believes that an OSCE field presence is one of the most effective ways for the OSCE to provide support in achieving necessary reforms and promoting the modernization of the country, including in the area of democracy and fundamental freedoms.

The upcoming Parliamentary elections on 1 November are an opportunity for Azerbaijan to implement the recommendations by OSCE/ODIHR. We deeply regret that Azerbaijan placed restrictions on ODIHR’s planned election observation for the forthcoming parliamentary elections in Azerbaijan. We share the view expressed by ODIHR that the insistence on a restricted number of observers is directly counter to OSCE commitments and in contradiction to ODIHR’s election observation mandate. This insistence has compelled ODIHR to cancel its election observation mission. We call on Azerbaijan to engage in discussions with ODIHR on how ODIHR can provide assistance to Azerbaijan in the implementation of its election-related and other OSCE commitments," the part of the  statement that refers to Azerbaijan reads.