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Azerbaijan May Become Full Right EU Member if It Corresponds with EU Criteria – Ambassador (video)

Politics Materials 4 April 2008 17:30 (UTC +04:00)

Azerbaijan, Baku, 4 April / Trend corr S. Agayeva/ Azerbaijan may become a full rights member of the European Union if it corresponds with whole of the EU criteria, the European Commission's Representative in Azerbaijan Alan Waddams said to journalists on 4 April. "For this purpose, the Azerbaijani Government should make full use of the opportunities offered to it by the EU New Neighbourhood Policy Action Plan," he said.

The criteria particularly regard democracy, superiority of law, struggle against corruption, human rights and freedom of speech. EU's estimation of the work carried out by Azerbaijan in these fields is completely reflected in the EU report publicized on 3 April.

The main shortcomings persist in the court system, justice system, media situation and support to civil society. The EU report paid special attention to the pre-election situation in Azerbaijan. "The freedom of speech still remains restricted in the country and there are serious problems on composition of the election committees," Waddams said. "The Azerbaijani Government should continue implementation of its strategy on protection of human rights and improvement of struggle against corruption," he said.

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