The US State Department Hopes for Restoring Radio Liberty Work in Azerbaijan and Concerned with Afghan Muhtarly Case - George Kent

Baku / 10.10.18 / Turan: Questions of democracy, regional security, the Karabakh conflict and bilateral cooperation were discussed during the visit to Baku of US Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs, George Kent. "We highly appreciate the activities of the Azerbaijani government in order to ensure and strengthen security in the region," he said at a press conference on Wednesday at the US embassy. The Southern Gas Corridor plays a huge role in ensuring the diversification of energy supplies to Europe. "A number of countries use the energy factor as a political tool, so the Southern Gas Corridor helps to ensure diversification of supply, he noted.

Touching on the Karabakh conflict, Kent positively assessed the meeting of the leaders of Azerbaijan and Armenia in Dushanbe. According to him, after this meeting, the tension on the contact line was reduced. The United States, as a co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group, is doing everything for a peaceful resolution of the conflict, he said.

Answering the question about the state of democracy and human rights in Azerbaijan, Kent replied that these issues were discussed during his meetings with the leadership of Azerbaijan. According to him, the principle of ensuring fundamental rights is one of the main principles for ensuring the development of any society. "I really hope that during my next visit I will be able to listen to the reports of Radio Liberty," he said.

Regarding the situation of the media as a whole, freedom of the press is one of the indicators of ensuring the freedoms of citizens and their rights to freely express opinions and receive information, said George Kent. Asked what he can say about the kidnapping the Azerbaijani journalist Afgan Mukhtarly in Tbilisi , Kent said that he had discussed this issue not in Baku, but by the Georgian authorities two weeks ago in the United States. Washington is in charge of ensuring the safety of journalists all over the world, so the US is very worried about Mukhtarly, Kent concluded.

* The Azerbaijani authorities closed the office of Radio Liberty in Baku in 2014. The journalist Afgan Muhtarly was abducted in Tbilisi in 2017, and transferred to Azerbaijan, where he was convicted of smuggling. -03B-