Azernews.Az

US Charge D’Affaires Adam Sterling has said "Arab Spring" in Azerbaijan is impossible, supporting President Ilham Aliyev’s recent statement at a security conference in Munich in which he ruled out a replay of the Egypt developments in the country.

"First of all, let me note that I agree with the president," Sterling said in an interview with the local ANS TV channel when asked about a possibility of Arab Spring developments in the region. "Comparing the two countries to one another would not be appropriate at all. They are different in terms of history, domestic situation and environment. So, I won’t draw any parallels with other countries in order to pass judgment regarding the situation in Azerbaijan."

Sterling stressed that evidently, in the past five to six years, Azerbaijan has taken strides in economic development, which has opened up tremendous and new opportunities.

"Public confidence in the government has increased. At the same time, major positive changes have occurred in society. This, in itself, leads to stability. Citizens believe that the government is there to help them, not to pose obstacles. Moreover, last year, the Azerbaijani government adopted a very important document – an anti-corruption strategy."

Sterling said Azerbaijani authorities have realized that corruption instances divide the people and government and estrange them from each other.

"This [anti-corruption fight] is a tremendous political step forward in ensuring long-term stability and strengthening the society," he said. "These activities are part of domestic democracy and economic reform. We believe that the continuation of such reforms is of great importance in terms of establishing long-term social stability."