European Parliament no longer to monitor elections in Azerbaijan

Vice-President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Euronest, Elkhan Suleymanov, said today that the European Parliament has decided not to monitor the elections in Azerbaijan. Suleymanov said this is an important moment in the history of the republic's independence.

"The European Union, since its creation as an international organization, has been considered the apex of democratic development. The European Parliament as body which is democratically elected by 27 states (now 28), together with the European Commission have done a lot for the monitoring of the state of democracy all over the world. Over the past ten years they have sent more than 100 electoral observation missions to countries that were considered "problematic" from the point of view of the European Union," Suleimanov said.

Three observer mission to the elections in Azerbaijan in 2005, 2008 and 2010 praised the state of the electoral system in the country and produced positive reports.

The decision to stop monitoring the elections in Azerbaijan demonstrates the confidence of the European Parliament, which creates the image of democracy in a country in which the electoral process meets all international norms and values, the Vice-President of the Euronest PA said.