Statement from the EU Ambassador to Azerbaijan Mr. Roland Kobia

EU Ambassador to Azerbaijan Roland Kobia has made a statement in accordance with the forthcoming presidential elections which redas:

"EU Ambassador Roland Kobia welcomes the agreement between the Government of Azerbaijan and the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) to enable an election observation mission to observe the upcoming Presidential elections. A meaningful size, a professional and balanced composition of the observation mission and an unimpeded working environment in situ for fulfilling their duties, should provide the right framework for a successful work of the mission on the basis of their overall ODIHR mandate. Together with the presence of other national and international observers, it will add international legitimacy to this phase of the election process. 

I trust that the final assessment will demonstrate the progress made by the Government of Azerbaijan in terms of implementation of its international commitments in the field of elections, one key area for the democratic development in the country. We reiterate full support for the ODIHR observation mission and to OSCE for their important work." -0-