Ambassador Morningstar: We have to continue to work together with Azerbaijan and to push hard on democracy issues.

(Exclusive Interview with Turan News Agency) 

Question:  The election in Azerbaijan is over. Did it meet international standards? 

Ambassador Morningstar: We issued a statement on October 10th in which we evaluated both the pre-election environment and what happened on election day. We stand by that statement. 

I would add that our statement did not question the outcome of the election. President Aliyev has been inaugurated. It is important that we work with the government and with President Aliyev on the wide variety of issues that are important to both countries and to the civil society of this country. That includes working on democracy-related issues, Nagorno-Karabakh and other geopolitical issues, counter- terrorism, and economic diversification and energy issues. All of these issues--including democracy--are very important. I think it is very important that we continue to have a cooperative relationship with the government to be able to deal with them. 

Question:  Azerbaijan did not agree with the OSCE/ODIHR and the U.S. statements regarding the Azerbaijani presidential elections. Azerbaijani authorities sharply criticized American election system. What do you think? Compared with American election standards, were the Azerbaijani elections democratic, just, and free? 

Ambassador Morningstar: Let me put it this way: I think we do a pretty good job on elections. We are not perfect. No democracy is perfect. Democracy is an ongoing process and even a country like the United States, which has been in existence now for 237 years, still needs to work on making democracy better and better. We will continue to do so because we know of no better system. 

We want to work with Azerbaijan as it develops its democracy. And we hope to be able to give useful feedback to Azerbaijan on the elections and on other issues. 

We want to be constructive and to work with Azerbaijan to further develop its democracy and its economy. We want Azerbaijan to become a great country, which I think it has the potential to be. 

Question:  My next question will be about your opinion on the arrests which took place during the election period. Many people were imprisoned, including journalist Parviz Hashimli and some opposition leaders. What can you say about these arrests? 

Ambassador Morningstar: We have urged Azerbaijan to fully respect the freedom of association, freedom of assembly, freedom of the press, and freedom of speech, and to comply with the rule of law. We did so prior to and during the election and will continue to do so. 

We have constantly raised the arrests that you have referred to with government officials. We will continue to do so, and we certainly urge the government to be transparent, to follow due process, and to carry out a fair judicial process. 

We are glad, by the way, that Farhad Aliyev and his brother were pardoned and released, and we hope that there will be more releases of certain prisoners, and that the political space will be further opened up. 

Question: We note that the key areas of U.S.-Azerbaijan relations are: security, energy, and democracy. But, for some reason, there is always progress in the security and energy areas, and there is always friction in the democracy area. What is the reason for that? 

Ambassador Morningstar: I think you are right when you say that these are the three areas that are the important priorities in our relationship. As partners--and we are a partner with Azerbaijan--we do have disagreements in certain areas. We have to continue to work together in the areas that we disagree on as well as the areas that we agree on. We will continue to push hard on democracy issues. Not because we want it to be a matter of friction between the United States and 

Azerbaijan, but because we hope that, by working together in this area, we can help Azerbaijan reach its potential. So we will continue to work on all these issues. 

I might add that I think there is a relationship between democracy and these other issues. For example, I think that improvements with respect to democracy issues could be very helpful in ultimately leading to a resolution on Nagorno-Karabakh. This point applies to all countries. 

So we will continue to work hard on democracy issues. We will continue to work hard on other issues which are important not just to the United States but also important to Azerbaijan and the citizens of Azerbaijan. 

Question: It has been said that the United States will continue to strengthen its relations with democratic countries, but you stated that you are looking forward to cooperating with the new Azerbaijani government. Is Azerbaijan a democratic country? How would you characterize the future of U.S.-Azerbaijan cooperation? 

Ambassador Morningstar: First of all I do not think that is a contradiction. Former Secretary of State Clinton, when she was here some time ago, said that our strongest relations are with democratic countries. That is why we will continue to work hard with the government of Azerbaijan and with the civil society of Azerbaijan to further develop democratic values and democratic principles. 

At the same time, we hope to continue to work on the issues that I described in my prior answers. 

Question: In the last election, the National Council proved that they are the key opposition group in Azerbaijan. Can you describe the nature of the U.S. Embassy's cooperation with the National Council? 

Ambassador Morningstar: First of all, I think we have had a good relationship--and will continue to have a good relationship--with the National Council and other opposition candidates. And, frankly, I think we have a good relationship with the ruling party. 

If democracy is going to develop further in this country I think it is important that we have contact with all political parties so we can learn from them and get their ideas. 

But I also want to emphasize what I said numerous times during the election campaign: We do not support and will not support any particular candidate nor will we oppose any particular candidate. 

Question: The National Council's presidential candidate, Jamil Hasanli, is going to visit the United States from November 14 to 24. Do you know if any official meetings are planned for Mr. Hasanli? 

Ambassador Morningstar: I do not know his schedule. I assume that he will meet with certain officials, but I do not know whom he will meet with, nor do I know what they will talk about. Perhaps Mr. Hasanli can tell you that. 

Question: My next question is about the future prospects of a resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. We occasionally see new initiatives put forward by the co-chair countries to resolve the conflict. For example, former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright initiated presidential meetings between Azerbaijan and Armenia in 1996. Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev continued this initiative. Unfortunately, this and other initiatives have not yielded any tangible results. Will we see any news ideas or initiatives in the near future? 

Ambassador Morningstar: First of all, I understand the frustration among Azerbaijanis about the fact that this conflict has remained unresolved for over 20 years. But I want to assure you and the people of Azerbaijan that we are committed to the resolution of this conflict. 

Secretary Kerry has been very involved and is very concerned with this issue. 

As you know, we have a new co-chair, Ambassador Jim Warlick. He is taking a very fresh approach to this issue. I can say that because I have sat in on two meetings that he has already had with the President and two meetings that he has had with the Foreign Minister here in Baku. I think he sees--and we see--an opportunity, perhaps an opening, now that the elections are over in both Armenia and Azerbaijan. 

We hope there will be a meeting between the two presidents later this year. We will continue to do what we can through the Minsk Group and through Ambassador Warlick to come up with new creative approaches that can get things off dead center. 

Question: During U.S. Minsk Group Co-Chair Ambassador Warlick’s visit to the region last week, there were shootings on the line of contact. Armenia's prime minister even threatened Azerbaijan in a parliamentary speech, saying that Armenia will always retaliate when threatened by Azerbaijan. What kinds of measures will the United States take to deescalate tensions? 

Ambassador Morningstar: I think this is something that the OSCE and the Minsk Group co-chairs ought to comment on. I might add, though, that escalated rhetoric on either side does not help the process. We hope that all sides will refrain from activities and actions that could escalate tensions. -0-