Baku/07.03.18/Turan: The co-chairs of the EP"s Democracy support and election coordination group MEPs McAllister and McAvan made the following statement on the forthcoming elections in Russia and Azerbaijan.
"Presidential elections will take place in Russia on 18 March and in Azerbaijan on 11 April 2018.
The European Parliament will not observe this electoral process and consequently will neither comment on the process nor on the results that will be announced afterwards. No individual Member of the European Parliament has been mandated to observe or comment on this electoral process on its behalf.
Therefore, should any Member of the European Parliament decide to observe these elections, she/he would do so on her/his own initiative and should under no circumstances commit the European Parliament through any statement or action.
The offer by official Russian organisations to cover the expenses of travel and accommodation of some international observers goes against the fundamental ethics of election observation.
As regards Azerbaijan, the European Parliament will adopt its report on the relations between the EU and Azerbaijan during its plenary sitting before the summer recess. Only this report will represent the official position of the European Parliament on the matter."-0-
Politics
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On January 7, the Baku Court of Grave Crimes began an investigation into the case of the activist of the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan (PFPA) Mehman Aliyev, who is accused of illegal drug trafficking.
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On January 7, the head of state, Ilham Aliyev, gave an interview to local TV channels. As of 18:00, the content of the interview had not been published.
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In late December, the Nakhchivan Court for Serious Crimes concluded the trial of former Minister of Finance of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic (NAR), Rafael Aliyev, and former head of the Nakhchivan Customs Committee’s department, Mansur Askerov. Both were accused of embezzling state budget funds in collusion with others. In his testimony, Askerov revealed that illegal fees were being collected for cargo and from passengers. Sahat Habibbeyli, appointed head of Nakhchivan Customs in 2020, had instructed Askerov to include only a portion of the collected funds in the Transport and International Relations (TIR) program.
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The "Republican Alternative" Party (REAL) has proposed a program to reform local governance ahead of the municipal elections on January 29, aiming to expand opportunities for economic activity at the municipal level. The new program has been developed with consideration of the existing economic problems in the country. The government of Azerbaijan seeks to obtain external loans for its projects, the economic feasibility of which raises doubts.
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