Washington Post: Azerbaijan's ambassador mischaracterized OSCE reportFebruary 17, 2011 - 11:55 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - In his Feb. 15 letter, Yashar Aliyev, Azerbaijan's ambassador to the United States, mischaracterized the findings of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe's report on the 2008 presidential elections in Azerbaijan, The Washington Post said in an article titled ‘Azerbaijan still has a long way to go toward democracy.’ The ambassador said that the report stated that the elections marked progress toward Azerbaijan meeting its international commitments with respect to elections. However, the report was speaking only of technical issues when it said Azerbaijan had made progress. The report, which is available on the OSCE website, goes on to state that the election, "was characterized by a lack of robust competition, a lack of vibrant political discourse, and a restrictive media environment, and thus did not reflect some of the principles necessary for a meaningful and pluralistic democratic election." In addition, an OSCE report on the 2010 parliamentary elections in Azerbaijan stated, "the conduct of these elections overall was not sufficient to constitute meaningful progress in the democratic development of the country." Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Narek Manasyan wins European Boxing Championships silver for Armenia Armenia’s Narek Manasyan (92kg) won Armenia’s second silver medal at the European Boxing Championships 2024 on April 28. Blinken urges Azerbaijan to continue negotiations with Armenia Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken has urged Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev to continue negotiations with Armenia. Pashinyan, Blinken talk Armenia-U.S. ties over the phone Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had a phone conversation with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on April 28, Pashinyan’s office reports. Titus, Bilirakis lead legislation to sanction Azerbaijani war criminals Representatives Dina Titus (D-NV) and Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) have introduced the bipartisan legislation. |