European expert: It is fair to expect continued development of democratic values from Azerbaijan

It is fair to expect continued progress in achieving the European values from Azerbaijan as a country with young democracy, but it takes time to fully implement all the necessary requirements of the Council of Europe, the Johns Hopkins University, Institute of Central Asia and Caucasus director and founder of the Institute of Security Policy and Development in Stockholm, Svante Cornell, said.

"Nobody is expecting and it is not realistic to expect that Azerbaijan should be to the level of the most advanced countries immediately," Cornell said. He commented on the nature of the anti-Azerbaijani article recently posted on the British publication "The Guardian".

Western journalist Afua Hirsch's article entitled "Why Azerbaijan is still a member of the Council of Europe?" very sharply and critically describes the situation of democracy and human rights in the country.

Cornell believes several countries in Eastern Europe have mixed records when it comes to both human rights and democracy. Azerbaijan is one of them, which achieved some progress, but there are also many remaining problems.

"I think that there is no reason to single out Azerbaijan when you have a whole list of countries that have comparable situations. You could mention Russia, Armenia and a number of other countries," Cornell said.

Joining the Council of Europe in 2001, Azerbaijan undertook the obligation to promote democratic values and protect fundamental human rights, which is the main focus of the organization. The country is regularly visited by representatives of various bodies of the Council of Europe to assess the achievements of Azerbaijan.


/Trend/