“The April 11 presidential elections once again demonstrated Azerbaijan’s commitment to democratic values” – Ahmad Shahidov speaks at the OSCE Warsaw Summit

VİEWS: 1680 AGENDA ANALYSIS

On September 10, the Human Dimension Implementation Meeting (HDIM) of OSCE participating States, organized by OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) started its work in Warsaw, Poland. Representatives of OSCE participating States, OSCE institutions, and OSCE executive structures, representatives of inter-governmental organizations, legal professionals, representatives of civil society and researchers from 57 participating States took part in discussions.

On the first day of the summit, taking an active part in discussions on the topic of "Democratic institutions, democracy and elections”, Head of Azerbaijan Institute for Democracy and Human Rights Dr. Ahmad Shahidov assessed the current democratic situation in the South Caucasus and made a report on democratic reforms and recent elections in the region.

Speaking about the April 11 presidential elections in Azerbaijan, the human rights defender gave detailed information on all stages from the first day of the election process to official announcements and said that the presidential elections in Azerbaijan were free, transparent and democratic: "The April 11 presidential elections once again demonstrated Azerbaijan’s commitment to democratic values. The Azerbaijani people once again revealed their will. These elections, closely followed by thousands of domestic and foreign observers, are a big step toward democracy compared to the previous elections in the country”.

Later, speaking about the parliamentary elections in Armenia, Head of AIDHR Dr. Ahmad Shahidov said that Serzh Sargsyan’s government has caused serious protests in Armenia and the democratic revolution has taken place: "Today Serzh Sargsyan does not have power in Armenia. For decades, a regime that has drawn the Armenian people into an unnecessary war, infecting Armenia with misery and corruption has collapsed. Armenia’s new government seems to be more democratic and pragmatic. I believe that the government of the Nicol Pashinyan will try to make Armenia truly independent and will pursue a constructive negotiation with the neighbors in order to achieve peace and reconciliation in the region and will respect the international law norms.”

PS. The Human Dimension Implementation Meeting (HDIM) of OSCE participating States is Europe’s largest annual human rights and democracy conference. It is organized every year by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) as a platform for the 57 OSCE participating States, the OSCE Partners for Co-operation, OSCE structures, civil society, international organizations and other relevant actors to take stock of the implementation of OSCE human dimension commitments, discuss associated challenges, share good practices and make recommendations for further improvement.

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