Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2008-01-16-Speech-3-455"
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"en.20080116.19.3-455"2
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"Madam President, let me thank the rapporteur for an excellent report on a region which merits our attention. The South Caucasus occupies an increasingly strategic position from both a political and an economic point of view. We all note the increasing interest in the region, not least in this assembly.
Regrettably there are many potential flashpoints, and Russian interference is considerable. Russia wants to increase its influence and signal its interest in dominating and controlling processes such as oil and gas supplies to Europe. The EU must see the danger in Russia’s conduct and therefore strengthen its ties with the South Caucasus. By this means we could also acquire a useful and necessary supplement to Russian oil and gas with distribution routes in northern Europe. The EU has everything to gain from greater involvement.
I am a member of a Swedish organisation – I actually helped to found it – which aims to increase contacts between Sweden and Azerbaijan. I therefore say this as a friend. The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict in 1991-1994 put a million people to flight, and the conflict is still unresolved. According to Amnesty International, 600 000 internal refugees are living in appalling conditions in Azerbaijan. Some years ago I visited a refugee camp in Azerbaijan close to the border with Iran. I myself have never witnessed such abject poverty. It is wholly unacceptable that, after all these years, hundreds of thousands of people should still be living in such degrading conditions. In this respect Azerbaijan’s leaders, headed by President Aliyev, deserve serious criticism. The EU and the Commission must do more in this area. These refugees must not be forgotten people.
It is also important that we act forcefully to ensure that such a basic right as freedom of expression is upheld. Opposition politicians and journalists must not be subjected to threats and intimidation or be imprisoned. If Azerbaijan wants to be a nation respected in Europe, it must uphold the fundamental principles of a democratic state subject to the rule of law."@en1
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