On December 15, a joint statement was released at the end of the 6th Eastern Partnership summit in Brussels, held by the European Council President Charles Michel. Azerbaijan, one of the participants in the summit and partner country, declined to support two puncts of the statement, one of which is calling out Belarus government on its lack of touch with democratic reforms.
The part of the statement that called out Belarus mentions that the EU “regrets the decision of the Belarusian authorities to suspend their participation in the Eastern Partnership and look forward to resuming cooperation with the Belarusian authorities as soon as necessary conditions for peaceful democratic transition are in place to build on a joint agenda based on common values and shared interests”. In the meantime, the statement reads, EU continues “engagement with and support for the Belarus citizens, civil society and independent media”.
The other punct Azerbaijan put condition on is the part the statement uses term “territories affected by conflicts”.
Leyla Abdullayeva, spokesperson of Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry, released a statement answering questions about Azerbaijan’s reluctance to support the particular puncts. Abdullayeva said that Azerbaijan put its own terms on the joint statement.
“We would like to emphasize that Azerbaijan has always been against the establishment of the Eastern Partnership program in a confrontational manner. This principle is reflected in the Joint Declaration itself,” Abdullayeva stated. She added: “Due to the fact that the views expressed on Belarus in the Joint Declaration do not comply with the principles of Azerbaijan’s foreign policy, Azerbaijan has adopted the Joint Declaration with the proviso”.
Leyla Abdullayeva
Regarding the other punct, Abdullayeva stressed that the need to carry out activities in conflict-affected territories should be realized “at the request and with the consent of the country to which the territory belongs”. “This position is based directly on international law and the sovereign rights of states,” she added.
Azerbaijan’s opposition blamed the government for “taking side” with Belarus government against the EU statement. Tofig Yagublu, Musavat member and politician, wrote on Facebook sarcastically, referring to leaders of Azerbaijan and Belarus: “Dictator doesn’t step over another’s foot.”
