German MP: "I am extremely critical of the resolution on Azerbaijan adopted by the Bundestag’’

A member of the German Bundestag from the ruling CDU party, Mark Hauptman, in June of this year visited Azerbaijan, where, along with the official meetings, he watched the first European Games in history. Hauptman, a permanent member of the Parliamentary Committee for Economy and Energy, has sent a letter to the Azerbaijani ambassador to Berlin, Parviz Shahbazov, in which he gave his assessment of a number of acute issues of German-Azerbaijani relations in the context of his visit to the country.

"I am extremely critical of the resolution on the human rights situation in Azerbaijan that was recently adopted in the Bundestag, and I consider that it would not be beneficial for the development of bilateral relations between our countries. I am also disappointed by the decision of the Minister of Economy of Germany, Sigmar Gabriel, to postpone the visit to Azerbaijan, because it sends the wrong signal thereby,’’ the MP says.

Hauptman says that Gabriel addressed a letter to reconsider his decision.

According to the parliamentarian, Azerbaijan is an attractive and interesting partner for Germany in the economy, politics, culture and security. The dynamic economic development has created opportunities not only for its own citizens, but also for German companies.

Hauptman stresses that the gradual development of such projects as TAP and TANAP shows the Western integration ambitions of Azerbaijan. These projects will help Europe to diversify its sources of energy supplies. They are important not only economically, but also have a lot of importance for the Europeans in terms of foreign security.

The MP also notes the successes of Azerbaijan in the implementation of large-scale innovative projects, including the special place of ASAN service centers functioning in the country, with the activities of which Hauptman had the opportunity to get acquainted on the spot during his visit to Baku. The MP assured that the experience of ASAN centers, where ministries and government agencies in a centralized manner provide all the necessary services to citizens, will cause a lot of interest in Germany.

Hauptman stressed that Azerbaijan is an example of the peaceful and harmonious coexistence of different ethnic and religious groups. During a visit to the mosques in Azerbaijan, the member of the Bundestag, by his own admission,  met with a modern, open and peaceful Islam. During a conversation with the rabbi of one of the synagogues of Azerbaijan, the parliamentarian understood the active role played by religious minorities in the country's life. Hauptman said that having such a strong and united society, Azerbaijan is a regional leader.

Despite some contradictions in bilateral relations, Hauptman invited his colleagues from the Milli Majlis to visit Germany in order to continue the dialogue. The MP said he would be happy to continue to cooperate with Azerbaijan in the future.