West sees Azerbaijan as part of Europe: British NGO head
Azerbaijan is considered in the West as a European country, an
executive of a British non-governmental organization has said.
Executive Director of London Information Network on Conflicts and State-building (LINKS), Dennis Sammut, said some in Europe question this on the grounds that the country is predominantly Muslim but these views are totally wrong.
"Azerbaijan could serve as Europe’s intellectual tank," he told a roundtable entitled "Azerbaijan and Europe-2008" in Baku on Wednesday.
Sammut emphasized that the Caucasus-Caspian Commission that comprises a slew of prominent politicians attached particular importance to Azerbaijan in its latest report. It also said that just like Europe and the United States, Russia, Iran and Turkey played a key role in the development of the South Caucasus region.
Sammut pointed to some problems in the way of Azerbaijan’s European integration, mainly in the area of elections, the media and the overall situation.
"The OSCE has cited major shortfalls concerning the elections held in the country. Azerbaijan should strive not to lose the new opportunity presented by the upcoming presidential poll. On the other hand, the parliament should closely oversee the government’s performance and courts should be independent."
Sammut said Azerbaijan could "export" Europe’s liberal values to the East and Asia. This requires passing a decision on the country’s economic model. Azerbaijan, whose population’s average age is below that of Turkey, could also contribute human resources to Europe.
Sammut added that Europe could serve as a better job market for Azerbaijanis than Russia.
A great number of Azerbaijani citizens are employed in the neighboring country.*
Executive Director of London Information Network on Conflicts and State-building (LINKS), Dennis Sammut, said some in Europe question this on the grounds that the country is predominantly Muslim but these views are totally wrong.
"Azerbaijan could serve as Europe’s intellectual tank," he told a roundtable entitled "Azerbaijan and Europe-2008" in Baku on Wednesday.
Sammut emphasized that the Caucasus-Caspian Commission that comprises a slew of prominent politicians attached particular importance to Azerbaijan in its latest report. It also said that just like Europe and the United States, Russia, Iran and Turkey played a key role in the development of the South Caucasus region.
Sammut pointed to some problems in the way of Azerbaijan’s European integration, mainly in the area of elections, the media and the overall situation.
"The OSCE has cited major shortfalls concerning the elections held in the country. Azerbaijan should strive not to lose the new opportunity presented by the upcoming presidential poll. On the other hand, the parliament should closely oversee the government’s performance and courts should be independent."
Sammut said Azerbaijan could "export" Europe’s liberal values to the East and Asia. This requires passing a decision on the country’s economic model. Azerbaijan, whose population’s average age is below that of Turkey, could also contribute human resources to Europe.
Sammut added that Europe could serve as a better job market for Azerbaijanis than Russia.
A great number of Azerbaijani citizens are employed in the neighboring country.*
Here we are to serve you with news right now. It does not cost much, but worth your attention.
Choose to support open, independent, quality journalism and subscribe on a monthly basis.
By subscribing to our online newspaper, you can have full digital access to all news, analysis, and much more.
Subscribe
You can also follow AzerNEWS on Twitter @AzerNewsAz or Facebook @AzerNewsNewspaper
Thank you!