This week, I’m just back from Azerbaijan – so human rights issues are very much on my mind.
The European Union is not just a common market; and not just a guardian of peace. It’s a place of fundamental rights. Rights that we treasure, protect and assure for our citizens. And nor is the Internet just a set of technologies, or just a space for business opportunities. It is the new frontier of freedom. And people like the inspiring young Malala Yousafzai are a reminder of that.
That’s the message I took to the Internet community and the President of Azerbaijan this week in the fascinating city of Baku.
This little country has an extraordinary past and present. Squeezed in between Russia and Iran, split in two unconnected geographic parts, full of oil and gas. The country has amazing artists: but also a government with a very troubling attitude to freedom and democracy.
See full Press Release: http://blogs.ec.europa.eu/neelie-kroes/malala-day-power-internet/
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