State Department slams Baku for blocking U.S. delegation visit

PanARMENIAN.Net - The visit by a U.S. delegation to Azerbaijan has been postponed until after the country's Oct 9 presidential election.

According to RFE/RL, a spokesperson for the U.S. embassy in Baku said the visit, which was to have been led by Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Thomas Melia, was postponed at the request of the Azerbaijani government.

The delegation had been expected in Baku from the Georgian capital, Tbilisi, on Sept 9 to observe preparations for the presidential poll.

In Tbilisi, Melia's delegation met with officials to discuss preparations for Georgia's Oct 27 presidential election. The U.S. embassy in Baku expressed regret and added that the embassy continues to monitor the pre-election environment in Azerbaijan and to encourage a free and fair electoral process.

Using unusually direct and decidedly undiplomatic language, the U.S. Department of State has sharply criticized Baku for the surprise move.

In a sign that the State Department may be edging away from its flawed practice of artificial even-handedness in public statements about Armenia and Azerbaijan, U.S. diplomats have begun specifically "laundry-listing" Baku's many democratic shortcomings and corruption-based problems, the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) said.

The State Department issued the following statement: "The U.S. regrets that the government of Azerbaijan has objected to the composition of a U.S. delegation that was to make an official pre-election visit to Azerbaijan. As a result, the visit will not take place. The Azerbaijani government's actions raise questions about the environment leading up to the Oct 9 presidential election. We call on the government of Azerbaijan to ensure a free and fair electoral process that reflects the will of the people. We urge Azerbaijani authorities to respect the freedoms of assembly, association, and speech as well as the rule of law and due process before, during, and after the presidential contest. We also urge the authorities to facilitate the important work of domestic as well as international election monitors."