Azerbaijan and the European Union
This book provides a comprehensive and up-to-date overview of EU-Azerbaijan relations. It examines the current state of Azerbaijan and its regime, charts the development of EU-Azerbaijan relations over time and discusses the dynamics at work in the relationship. It details the nature of the Azerbaijani regime, including its authoritarian character and allegations of corruption, explores the differences between European values and the values of the Azerbaijani government and explains the difficulties that have arisen in the relationship, including the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict resolution process, media suppression and human rights violations. This book includes a comparison with EU relations with other states in the region.
Eske van Gils is a Post-Doctoral Research Associate in the School of Politics and International Relations at the University of Kent.
BASEES/Routledge Series on Russian and East European Studies
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Economics and Business: Richard Connolly, University of Birmingham
Media and Cultural Studies: Birgit Beumers, University of Aberystwyth
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This series is published on behalf of BASEES (the British Association for Slavonic and East European Studies). The series comprises original, high-quality, research-level work by both new and established scholars on all aspects of Russian, Soviet, post-Soviet and East European Studies in humanities and social science subjects.
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Christian Anarcho-Pacifist Iconoclasm Then and Now
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Eske van Gils
For a full list of available titles please visit: https://www.routledge.com/BASEES-Routledge-Series-on-Russian-and-East-European-Studies/book-series/BASEES
Azerbaijan and the European Union
Eske van Gils
First published 2020
by Routledge
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2020 Eske van Gils
The right of Eske van Gils to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.
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ISBN: 978-1-138-59502-6 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-0-429-48848-1 (ebk)
Typeset in Times New Roman
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This book is the outcome of a research project that started in 2012 and for which I owe my gratitude to a great number of people to whom I am much indebted. These are first and foremost my colleagues at the School of Politics and International Relations at the University of Kent for all their guidance and support and for providing me with the opportunity to make it all happen. Special gratitude goes to my supervisors, professors Richard Whitman and Elena Korosteleva, as well as Arvydas Griinas, Igor Merheim-Eyre, Veronika Stoyanova and Tom Watts for our long discussions, their endless patience and friendship throughout the years. I would also like to thank the three examiners of my PhD thesis on which this manuscript builds: Tom Casier, Richard Youngs and Stephan Keukeleire, for their generous time, our challenging discussion and their very helpful comments.
I am indebted to the editors, the copy-editing team, as well as to everyone who has commented on previous papers and presentations at different workshops and conferences over the past years, for all their in-depth feedback and invaluable suggestions. Many arguments and considerations in this book are really the result of a joint effort.
The project would not have been possible without the initial encouragement of Erdem Yrk and the financial support from the University of Kent, the University Association for Contemporary European Studies (UACES) and the British Association for Slavonic and East European Studies (BASEES), as well as the GCRF COMPASS project (GCRF UKRI ES/P010849/1) for facilitating the final stages of writing.
Lastly, a great thank you must go especially to all interviewees and friends in Baku and Brussels who have given me so much of their time, shared so much of their knowledge and welcomed me with so much hospitality. It has been a great experience to meet you and an honour to learn from you all.
AAAssociation AgreementAPAction PlanADRAzerbaijan Democratic RepublicASSRAzerbaijani Soviet Socialist RepublicBPThe British Petroleum CompanyCCCooperation CouncilCEECsCentral and East European CountriesCISCommonwealth of Independent StatesCoECouncil of EuropeCOMECONCouncil for Mutual Economic AssistanceCSCEConference for Security and Cooperation in EuropeCSOCivil Society OrganisationCSPCountry Strategy PaperDCFTADeep and Comprehensive Free Trade AgreementDHRDemocracy and Human RightsEACAEU-Azerbaijan Comprehensive AgreementEaPEastern PartnershipEaP CSFEastern Partnership Civil Society ForumEBRDEuropean Bank for Reconstruction and DevelopmentECEuropean CommissionECHOEuropean Community Humanitarian Aid OfficeECHREuropean Convention on Human RightsECtHREuropean Court of Human RightsEEASEuropean External Action ServiceEECEuropean Economic CommunityEEDEuropean Endowment for DemocracyEEUEurasian Economic UnionEIDHREuropean Instrument for Democracy and Human RightsENPEuropean Neighbourhood PolicyEPEuropean ParliamentESIEuropean Stability InitiativeEUEuropean UnionEUSRSCEuropean Union Special Representative for the South CaucasusEXAPExceptional Assistance under TACISHR/VPHigh Representative/Vice-President of the European CommissionIMFInternational Monetary FundMoUMemorandum of Understanding on Energy CooperationNIPNational Indicative ProgrammeN-KNagorno-KarabakhOCCRPOrganized Crime and Corruption Reporting ProjectODIHROSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human RightsOICOrganization of the Islamic ConferenceOSCEOrganisation for Security and Cooperation in EuropePACEParliamentary Assembly of the Council of EuropePCAPartnership and Cooperation AgreementPCCParliamentary Cooperation CommitteePRPublic RelationsReAlRepublican Alternative PartySCOShanghai Cooperation OrganisationSMPStrategic Modernisation PartnershipSPAStrategic Partnership AgreementTACISTechnical Assistance to the Commonwealth of Independent StatesTEASThe European Azerbaijan SocietyTURKPAParliamentary Assembly of Turkic-speaking CountriesWBWorld BankWTOWorld Trade Organisation
