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The EU stands to benefit far more from a partnership with a country that respects rule of law and human rights, than one that cannot be trusted to do so (Photo: Mr Zebra)

EU red carpet for Azerbaijan sends wrong message

The European Union’s “quiet diplomacy” just got much quieter. With one strongman in particular, it is almost inaudible.

Remarkably, Brussels dragged its feet to inform the public of an upcoming visit by Azerbaijan president Ilham Aliyev, who is coming to town on Monday (6 February) to personally inaugurate negotiations on a new EU-Azerbaijan partnership agreement.

The deal is set to strengthen the political and economic ties between the union and its oil-rich neighbour to the sou...

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The views expressed in this opinion piece are the author’s, not those of EUobserver

Author Bio

Andrew Rettman is EUobserver's Foreign Affairs Editor. He has been writing about foreign and security affairs for EUobserver since 2005. He is Polish but grew up in the UK. He has also written for The Guardian, The Telegraph, and The Times of London.

The EU stands to benefit far more from a partnership with a country that respects rule of law and human rights, than one that cannot be trusted to do so (Photo: Mr Zebra)

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Author Bio

Andrew Rettman is EUobserver's Foreign Affairs Editor. He has been writing about foreign and security affairs for EUobserver since 2005. He is Polish but grew up in the UK. He has also written for The Guardian, The Telegraph, and The Times of London.

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