Azernews.Az

The upcoming presidential elections will be an important basis for the future of the European Union's relations with Azerbaijan, the EU envoy on South Caucasus Peter Semneby has said.
Semneby emphasized in conclusion of his visit to Baku on Tuesday that the October vote would be the first election to be held in the country since the adoption of the European New Neighborhood Policy.
"This election is extremely important both for the EU and Azerbaijan. We are thinking what we can do jointly with the OSCE and the Council of Europe to improve the pre-election climate," Semneby said.
Azerbaijan signed the Action Plan within the New Neighborhood Policy with the EU in November 2006. The document outlines cooperation with the 27-member union in the coming years.
Semneby noted that much remains to be done. "The electoral observation climate should be improved, access to the media simplified and freedom of assembly protected. Vote count and the procedure of reviewing complaints are pivotal as well."
Semneby said media freedom was another key element of EU-Azerbaijan relations. "We are utterly concerned over the arrests of journalists. We will continue closely following and issuing statements in this respect. We hope that substantial results will be achieved in conclusion of talks with the authorities."
The EU envoy, who paid a two-day visit to Baku this week, met with officials, opposition leaders, NGO representatives as well as Turkmenistan's ambassador to Azerbaijan.
Semneby said energy issues were high on the political agenda of talks between the EU and Azerbaijan. "We can even say that this is one of the fundamental issues in our relations. But democracy is important for us as well. These elements have to be in balance, as the EU is seeking stable relations with Azerbaijan."