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Azerbaijani politicians protest US President

05 May 2009 13:14 (UTC +04:00)

Baku. Elnur Mammadli â€“ APA. New Azerbaijan Party (YAP) expressed protest against the US President Barack Obamaâ€™s speech on May 3, the Day of World Press Freedom. The US President showed Azerbaijan among the countries where there is no press freedom. YAP Deputy Executive Secretary MP Mubariz Gurbanli told APA it was not logically for Obama to mention Azerbaijan in his speech. Gurbanli said everyone knew that there was no problem with press freedom in Azerbaijan. He said no restrictions were imposed on the press freedom in Azerbaijan. â€œUnfortunately the US President mentioned Azerbaijan in his speech on the situation of world press. Azerbaijan and the US are strategic partners and relations between the countries are developed. US officials are regularly visiting Azerbaijan and seeing the state of press and speech freedom and the governmentâ€™s care for the press freedom in Azerbaijan. We, the New Azerbaijan Party, donâ€™t agree with the US Presidentâ€™s speech and consider that it seems Obamaâ€™s aides give him wrong informationâ€. Gurbanli said there was pressure on the press in various countries and the United States also has problems with press freedom. â€œIt is not logical to show Azerbaijan among the non-developed countries with press restrictions. We would like that those, who prepare reports for the US President, to take into consideration that Azerbaijan is among the countries with European press freedom. It is unfair to show Azerbaijan in the list of countries pressure on the pressâ€.

MP Zahid Oruj also considers the Obamaâ€™s speech unfair. He told APA there are enough facts proved that this was wrong idea. â€œUS ambassador to Azerbaijan can also confirm these facts because recently the ambassador issued an article about the certain achievements. I think that the Obamaâ€™s advisers have to coordinate their activity with the embassies. On the other hand, huge work has been done for establishing the freedom of press and speech in Azerbaijan, including establishing of the Council of Government Support for Press, freezing of debts of editorial offices and etc. It is serious and regrettable paradox that US calls Azerbaijan its strategic partner and works together in the number of spheres and then to name Azerbaijan in such list basing on some domestic problemâ€. Oruj said the United State was unfair when put aside the fact of occupation of Azerbaijani lands by Armenia and evaluate the arrest of two-three journalists as a situation of freedom of speech.

Chairman of the United Azerbaijan Popular Front Party Gudrat Hasanguliyev told APA that the U.S. President demonstrated biased and pro-Armenian position again. According to Hasanguliyev, a number of journalism-related problems have not been solved in Azerbaijan and said Obama firstly mentioned Azerbaijan among the countries, where freedom of expression is restricted and journalists undergo pressure, to toady to Armenians.
â€œIn his statement Obama mentions none of Azerbaijanâ€™s neighbors, while pressures on freedom of expression and opinion in the recent presidential elections in Armenia, Russia and Iran, arrest of journalists, even US media representative are undeniable facts,â€ he said.

U.S. President said in his statement that there were pressures on the press in a number of countries of the world:
â€œIn every corner of the globe, there are journalists in jail or being actively harassed: from Azerbaijan to Zimbabwe, Burma to Uzbekistan, Cuba to Eritreaâ€¦â€