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<\/a>But for the EU policymakers, worthy partners in the region are mainly defined by cubic meters; not necessarily democracy rankings. Mogherini said in Baku on February 29 that there is an internal consensus within the bloc that its collective foreign policy should give priority to \u201cpartners and initiatives that are crucial for better diversification of the EU energy resources.\u201d A key role is reserved for Azerbaijan<\/a> is this regard, as it is the starting point of a forthcoming East-West natural-gas pipeline system.<\/p>\n Mogherini attended a big gathering on the Southern Gas Corridor<\/a>, a 3,500-kilometer road to energy security for Europe. EU, US and British energy officials were all in town to partake in the discussion on what is touted as a fix for the continent\u2019s politically prohibitive dependence on Russian natural gas. On hand also were officials from Azerbaijan\u2019s neighbors Turkey and Georgia, both anticipating eventual shares of tens of billions of cubic meters of gas from the pipeline chain.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Southern Gas Corridor plays a key role in the EU\u2019s strategy to diversify our energy supply sources and transportation routes,\u201d Mogherini said<\/a> after meetings with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov.<\/p>\n As a further sweetener, she announced plans for a new partnership agreement between EU and Azerbaijan<\/a>, and proposed the country\u2019s membership in the World Trade Organization as a way to help Baku overcome its current economic troubles.<\/p>\n Just as Mogherini was headed to Azerbaijan, though, press and civil society freedom advocacy groups had asked her to take Baku to task for imprisonment and harassment of journalists, activists and other critics of the Aliyev government. \u201cMogherini has a perfect opportunity to show the Azerbaijani leadership what kinds of partners are worthy of EU collaboration and cooperation,\u201d wrote Philippe Dam, the director for Europe and Asia at the New-York-City-based Human Rights Watch. \u201cFor the sake of human rights protection in Azerbaijan and the EU\u2019s own integrity, I hope she uses it.\u201d<\/p>\n The organization said that the EU must request the release from house arrest of human-rights defender Leyla Yunus and her husband, analyst Arif Yunus, both released from prison because of deteriorating health. Human Rights Watch<\/a> also called for repealing \u201clegislation that restricts the legitimate work of independent organizations, human rights groups, and journalists.\u201d<\/p>\n