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U.S. Ambassador to Azerbaijan: â€œIt was certainly not my intentionâ€

22 May 2014 16:29 (UTC +04:00)

"I have read and followed all of the reactions to my interview to the radio. Many have agreed many have disagreed with what I have said some have agreed in part and disagreed in part. I would like to make clear that I respect the opinions of everybody who responded to what I said. Everyone has a right to express their opinions that is agree with what I said or not. My intend was to state in balanced way how I see some of issues in Azerbaijan today. If the result of my comments is good faith discussion among government officials and members of civil society then the interview will have been in positive thing. Discussions and debates are important to any society. I would to be clear on something else I recognize the tremendous progress that Azerbaijan has made since it is independence in so many different areas. I am a long time friend of Azerbaijan and I think most people recognize that. I can only hope that the next 20 years even more major progress can be made. I am sure that will happen".