Azerbaijan seeks to downgrade OSCE representation status

PanARMENIAN.Net - Azerbaijan wants the status of OSCE Office in Baku to be downgraded to the status of project coordinator, a spokesman for Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry Elman Abdullayev told APA. He said Azerbaijan has questions regarding the activity of OSCE Office in Baku.

"Our position is concrete and clear. We have questions regarding the general activity of OSCE Office in Baku and as a member of the organization have the right to appeal for changing of the status of OSCE Office in Baku. A letter has been sent to the organization. But this doesn’t mean that Azerbaijan wants to stop or freeze relations with OSCE. This is not extraordinary, everything is done within the framework of OSCE principles and norms," he said.

According to a political analyst Vafa Guluzade, the move was meant to prevent OSCE criticism at the oncoming elections. Earlier, OSCE repeatedly slammed Azeri elections as not fair and not free.

As the head of Law and Development NGO Hafiz Hasanov noted, OSCE observers won't be invited to monitor the October polls in Azerbaijan, Azeri media reported.