Azernews.Az

BAKU – An official of Azerbaijan’s ruling party, YAP, has said he "could not imagine" any mass riots occurring in Azerbaijan on Friday or Saturday, when antigovernment protests are planned by youth activists and the opposition, saying the country’s youths support President Ilham Aliyev’s policy.

Youth activists are trying to muster public support for Friday’s protest on Facebook. Musavat, a major Azerbaijani opposition party, is keen on holding a protest on the following day, regardless of whether or not it is sanctioned by the authorities of Baku.

YAP Deputy Executive Secretary Mubariz Gurbanly said thousands of Azerbaijani youths studying abroad have written letters to the ruling party condemning the uproar being raised over the protests.

"We are also seeing this [condemnation] in the messages being received by various groups created by young YAP members on social networking websites," he told the Baku-based APA news agency.

Gurbanly said the Azerbaijani people condemn the attempts to embroil their stably developing country into turmoil and carrying out such orders from some forces.

"I believe that behind the uproar of Isa Gambar [Musavat leader] and those around him is nothing but imitation. And the goal of this imitation is just to show their very existence. The people joining their calls could account for much less than 0.1 percent of the people in Azerbaijan. Therefore, these calls will produce no fruit."

Commenting on the opposition media reports saying that troops are being pulled to Baku, Gurbanly said: "First of all, there is no need to pull troops to counter a non-existent force. Secondly, the duty of the Azerbaijani army is to defend our country’s independence and security, particularly to stand opposed and repel the Armenian aggression on the Karabakh frontline".