The US called to free and fair elections in Azerbaijan

Baku/07.02.18/Turan: The US call on Azerbaijan to hold free and fair elections in accordance with its Constitution and international obligations, said today Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Bridget Brink at a press conference in Baku.

Responding to request to comment on the appointment in Azerbaijan on April 11 of the extraordinary presidential elections.

"Our recommendations to the government of Azerbaijan are that the elections should be free and fair", - she noted.

The US always supports democratic processes, equal opportunities for free campaigns, free meetings, free expression of people's opinions, and the free media environment, she added.

At the same time, the diplomat did not comment on the details of discussions of her talks with Aliyev on democracy, human rights and the rule of law.

The US long-standing position is that human rights, fundamental freedoms and values ​​should be respected. "Human rights are a very important part of our bilateral relations, along with security, energy and other issues", - she said.

"We believe that respect for human rights, fighting corruption, the rule of law and a favorable business climate in Azerbaijan are important for overall development and stability".

She reiterated the opinion of President Trump in the National Security Strategy, where he noted that the United States maintains the closest ties with countries that share common values ​​and interests.

"I think that both sides share these goals", - Brink said.

She also noted that she had discussed with the representatives of the Azerbaijani government the about the "Radio Azadlig".

At the same time, she refrained from answering the question what influence the closing of the Baku bureau "Radio Azadlig" had on the media environment in Azerbaijan, noting that she discussed the issue with Azerbaijan authorities, but she is not an expert who can give a correct assessment. However, in general, the US advocates freedom of the media.

"I believe that having multiple opinion is important to allowing for democracy any public to assess the credibility and validity of news and information. So we support that worldwide free media as important part of democracy,"- Brink noted.

She avoided answering the question about the attitude to the US towards nominating Ilham Aliyev as the presidential candidate for the fourth time.

According to her, in diplomacy it is not customary to talk about an event that has not yet take place.

Answering the question about the purpose of the visit to Azerbaijan, the diplomat said that one of the goals is to hold discussions with the US ambassadors in the region.

At the same time, fruitful meetings were held with the President, the Azerbaijani Foreign Minister, the leader of the opposition party and representatives of the American Chamber of Commerce. One of the topics of the discussions was the issues of safety and, in this context, she noted Azerbaijan's contribution to the fight against terrorism and support for the operation in Afghanistan. In addition, she expressed support to the US for deepening trade relations with Azerbaijan and making the country through the Silk Road an important regional transport hub.-03C06-