On February 7, topics of human rights violations in Azerbaijan and Baku's intervention in EU policy were discussed at a joint session of the European Parliament's Sub-Committee on Human Rights and the Ad Hoc Committee on foreign intervention into European democratic processes in the EU.
Bernard Quetta, a French member of the European Parliament, chaired the hearings.
Arif Mammadov, the former ambassador of Azerbaijan to EU and the Council of Europe, a representative of the Democracy for Azerbaijan movement, noted that European institutions often turn a blind eye to human rights violations and corruption in Azerbaijan.
He reminded of the scandals related to Azerbaijan. Mammadov noted that the investigation carried out in the PACE, except for the criminal prosecution of MP Luca Volonté, who had corrupt ties with Baku, did not yield any serious results.
The meeting also touched upon EU-Azerbaijan relations, the logic of Azerbaijan's membership in the Eastern Partnership, possible measures to improve the human rights situation and to put pressure on official Baku to fight corruption.
The participants of the hearings called on the EU not to provide 2 billion euros in aid to Azerbaijan due to the lack of transparency in the use of funds.
They expressed concern that in the new agreement between Azerbaijan and the EU the priority will be given to energy issues to the detriment of human rights.
