Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec.8
By Seba Aghayeva - Trend:
Using human rights issue for political purposes undermines faith in the success of institutions dealing with the protection of these rights, the Deputy Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan Khalaf Khalafov said.
"Azerbaijan has achieved great success in sphere of protection of human rights," Khalafov said Dec.8, speaking at an international conference on the theme "Protecting the rights of women and children, exposed to drug addiction, in the family and society." "Some people treat it positively, others - critically. There may be some shortcomings in this area. The main thing is that a firm basis for the solution of these problems was created, thanks to the policy implemented by Azerbaijan in this field."
He said that criticism is recently heard towards the situation of human rights in Azerbaijan, and some people want to take advantage of this criticism as a means of pressure on the country in the international arena.
"But human rights are more humanitarian issue than a political one," said Khalafov. "Using human rights for political purposes doesn't serve useful purposes and undermines faith in the success of institutions protected by these rights."
Recently, a number of international organizations have been critical of the situation in the field of human rights in Azerbaijan, he said.
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Seba Aghayeva is deputy head of Trend Agency's Azerbaijani news service, follow her on Twitter: @Asebaa