Azernews.Az

BAKU – OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s Vice President Wolfgang Grossruck hailed Azerbaijan’s economic and democratic development during a visit to Baku on Friday.

Grossruck said in a meeting with Parliament Vice-Speaker Bahar Muradova that despite being a newly independent state, Azerbaijan has been rampantly developing and accomplished great success in a short time. He said the Azerbaijani economy has been growing and democracy has developed, adding that these achievements are worthy of praise by the world community.

Muradova said Azerbaijan was interested in developing its relations with the OSCE and its various institutions.

The vice-speaker pointed out that the agenda of the OSCE PA’s forthcoming winter session will include a report on Azerbaijan’s parliamentary elections held in 2010. Muradova said the assessment of the assembly’s election observation mission does not overlap with the critical views of some of its members.

"Though some shortfalls were reported during the election period, these shortfalls did not affect the outcome of the vote. Therefore, it would be wrong to be severely critical about everything."

Grossruck headed a mission of OSCE observers that monitored the elections held last November.

Grossruck, as well as the head of the OSCE PA Liaison Office in Vienna Andreas Nothelle and head of Austria’s Permanent Mission at the Assembly Lukas Mussi, are due to hold meetings with Parliament Speaker Ogtay Asadov and leaders of both pro-government and opposition parties.