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Vice-president of European Parliamentâ€™s Foreign Relations Committee: â€œSome people want to see in other countries the democracy, which doesnâ€™t exist in their homelandsâ€

10 October 2013 13:29 (UTC +04:00)

Baku. Rashad Suleymanov – APA. “The Azerbaijani presidential elections on October 9 were conducted freely and without any problem,” said vice-president of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the European Parliament Fiorello Provera at the press conference dedicated to the results of his observations on Azerbaijan’s presidential elections, APA reports.

Provera said they visited 18 polling stations with 7-member delegation: “Compared to previous years, we have seen significant progress. We haven’t faced any problem nor informed about any problem. Our mission was to observe the elections not to interfere in any process. The election process made positive impressions on us.”

Provera said that there are differences between the opinions of the members of the European Parliament and the Council of Europe and OSCE ODIHR: “Some forces and groups in some countries want to see in other countries the democracy, which doesn’t exist in their homelands. Our duty is to help Azerbaijan in stepping towards democracy. We must participate in this process not as judges, but as friends. I have heard some critical remarks. 9 journalists have been arrested in Azerbaijan for some reasons. I should note that in my country – Italy, 4 journalists have been arrested for defamation. One of them is 74 years old. Another criticizing point is the lack of women among the candidates. I would like to remind those who say that there were no women among the candidates in the United States. No one can say that the United States is not a democratic country.”

Provera noted that Azerbaijan is independent for 22 years. Democratic institutions operate in Italy for 65 years: “The right to vote was given to women in Azerbaijan 1918, before Europe. Azerbaijan is of great importance for Europe and Italy. In my opinion, the international community's attention should be focused on the occupation of Azerbaijani territories, refugees and internally displaced people. If this problem is not solved, other problems will remain, too”.

Provera appreciated Azerbaijan’s lobbying at the European Parliament: “This is a normal phenomenon. Other countries also carry out such activities, they try to draw the attention of the EU. I would like to point out that the Armenian lobbying plays an important role in their national interests.”

At the end, vice-president of the European Parliament’s foreign relations committee F.Provera congratulated Ilham Aliyev for his victory in the presidential elections.”