Azernews.Az

BAKU – Azerbaijan's Ambassador to the United States Yashar Aliyev has dismissed as false the allegations by a Washington Post editor that President Ilham Aliyev "falls short of being deemed a democratically elected leader".

Ambassador Aliyev wrote in The Washington Post article titled "Azerbaijan is committed to democracy" that according to international observers, the last 2008 presidential elections "marked considerable progress toward OSCE [Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe] and Council of Europe commitments".

"During the elections President Aliyev received a sufficient majority of the vote, a reflection by the public that he was the most-qualified leader to continue economic development and democratic reforms," the Azerbaijani envoy wrote in response to Fred Hiatt's recent op-ed column titled "A tougher line on dictators?"

In his February 7 article, Hiatt analyzed the US stance on the unrest in Egypt and Washington’s potential further approach to "dictators" in other Islamic countries. Regarding Azerbaijan, the article said: "In Azerbaijan, another secular Muslim dictator, Ilham Aliyev, plays on U.S. fears of Islamic radicalism and the U.S. need for oil to win indulgence when he rigs elections and locks up journalists. Will U.S. officials tell him the status quo is not sustainable?"

The ambassador replied that Azerbaijan does not bargain with U.S. fears of Islamic radicalism and its need for oil.

"Azerbaijan has a vested interest in stability and good relations with all its friends and partners, including the United States. As this year marks the 20th anniversary of Azerbaijan’s independence from the Soviet Union, it is worth remembering that Azerbaijan has passed difficult times and emerged as a strong, self-sufficient state committed to a prosperous and democratic future for its citizens," Aliyev’s story says.