Azernews.Az

US Assistant Secretary of State Daniel Fried has said his country was concerned over the situation with media and the arrests of journalists in Azerbaijan. The statement came at his meeting with the Azerbaijani ambassador to the United States Yashar Aliyev at the State Department on Thursday, US ambassador in Baku Anne Derse told the press.
She noted that the assistant secretary looked into the problems facing local media during his latest visit to the country early this month.
The diplomat maintained that the entire world community already deems Azerbaijan as a country where journalists are imprisoned. "We would like for Azerbaijan to be known for its culture and science instead," she said.
"Pressure on the media poses a threat to the country's future. The United States is therefore interested in the development of independent media here," Derse said.
The Foreign Ministry spokesman Khazar Ibrahim regarded the Azerbaijani envoy's talks at the State Department as natural. He said Azerbaijan and the U.S. are allies and regularly conduct dialog in a number of fields.
"The ambassador is therefore forging ties with the State Department on all issues, including security, military-political situation and human rights. We are holding concrete talks, and there is no difference of opinion," Ibrahim said.