Azernews.Az

Norwegian Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Store has ruled out unrest in Azerbaijan that has already hit neighboring states.
"Having observed the reforms carried out in the country in the past years, I can conclude that the developments that have taken place in the neighboring country [Armenia] will not re-occur in Azerbaijan, as people are more united here and respect statehood," Store told the press after meeting his counterpart Elmar Mammadyarov in Baku on Tuesday.
Armenia's February 19 presidential poll was marred by internal stand-off. The opposition had refused to recognize the results of the election won by Prime Minister Serzh Sarkisian, charging vote rigging and taking to the streets. The ensuing mass protests were quelled on March 1. 28 people were reportedly killed in the clashes and hundreds of others were injured. The Armenian government had announced a 20-day state of emergency after the disturbances.
The Norwegian minister called on Azerbaijan to hold a free and fair presidential election in October, saying the vote should comply with OSCE standards.
"We observed recent elections in two of Azerbaijan's neighbors, and I have to say that unfortunately, those elections were not in line with European standards. Now, all eyes have turned to Azerbaijan," Store said.
Store said voters and observers' feedback will determine how democratic the election will be. He added that time was required to carry out reform.
The two ministers also discussed the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict over Upper (Nagorno) Garabagh and energy cooperation. Store said the dispute should not be kept "frozen". He added that his country backed resolution of the conflict within Azerbaijan's territorial integrity.
He said Norway was ready to assist Azerbaijan in the rehabilitation of the territories currently occupied by Armenia after a solution is found to end the long-running conflict.
Store said the conflict was indeed a tragedy as it has caused tremendous loss of life and ousted a great number of people from their homes.