Civil Society Expresses Human Rights Concerns over the EU’s New Energy Deal with Azerbaijan

August 3, 2022
News

As the European Union (EU) works to reduce its reliance on Russian oil, they have turned to Azerbaijan for fossil fuels. In July, the European Commission and Azerbaijan recently signed an agreement doubling the amount of Azerbaijan’s natural gas exports to the EU by 2027. The Election Monitoring and Democracy Studies Center (EMDS) reports that civil society organizations in Azerbaijan have expressed concern over the strengthened ties between the country and the EU, and are worried that the EU will not hold the government accountable for its human rights abuses. Civil society leaders are calling for the EU to publicly recognize the deterioration of human rights in Azerbaijan and to help strengthen and protect democratic values in the country.

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