Azerbaijan, Baku / Trend corr. K. Ramazanova / The EU's interest in Azerbaijan's energy resources and transit potential will not cause the bloc to turn a blind eye to the country's deteriorating rights standards, the special representative of the EU in South Caucasus, Peter Semneby, said in an appeal to the Committee of International Relations of the European Parliament.
"We do not want to close our eyes to necessary democratic reforms, respect to human rights, and freedom of the media," he said.
Semneby said the mediation efforts pursued by the OSCE Minsk Group in the region will intensify in the near future, adding that the EU will fully support them. The EU will focus on "confidence-building measures," among which he identified the promotion of people-to-people contacts to help minimize the isolation of those living in the conflict zones.