Azernews.Az

A top Azerbaijani official has dismissed US President George Bush's statement citing Azerbaijan among countries where freedom of speech is violated the most.
"I believe the statement was based on erroneous information," the President's Office Chief-of-Staff Ramiz Mehdiyev said.
In the statement that condemned pressure on journalists worldwide, Bush said that in countries such as Belarus, Burma, China, Cuba, Eritrea, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Syria, Venezuela, and Zimbabwe, repressive laws severely restrict freedom of speech, and those who attempt to report are often imprisoned. In 2007, for the ninth consecutive year, China remained the world's top jailer of journalists, followed by Cuba, Eritrea, Iran, and Azerbaijan, Bush said in the statement made on the occasion of World Press Freedom Day, May 3.
Mehdiyev told reporters on Saturday that US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has also issued an unfair statement about Azerbaijan.
"A conclusion is derived from her statement that the socio-political situation, and overall, all issues, have been perfectly solved in Armenia and Georgia, while Azerbaijan is a country lagging behind in the region. Judging by Rice's logic, the developments that took place in Armenia in February-March have to reoccur in Azerbaijan so that she would express positive views about Azerbaijan. I assess this as a non-serious statement."
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.
Mehdiyev said international organizations and foreign institutions try to put pressure on Azerbaijan ahead of every election. "They are pursuing certain goals here. But Azerbaijan is proceeding along its own path under the leadership of its president."
The chief-of-staff reiterated that the upcoming presidential election will be held democratically and transparently. "The election will be held in a democratic environment unseen in the history of Azerbaijan."
Asked about the possibility of an "orange revolution" in the country, Mehdiyev said: "Some may have such plans, but Azerbaijan is a very powerful state, and no one will be able to undermine development in the country."