Azernews.Az

Peter Semneby, the European Union envoy for the South Caucasus, said the "pre-election atmosphere is not sensed in Baku." His comment came during a short visit on Monday that sought to study the situation in Azerbaijan prior to October 15 presidential elections.
"I am not inclined to pass judgment regarding the elections at this point…But, what immediately caught my attention is that the pre-election atmosphere is not sensed here. I was expecting to see more political activity," Semneby told reporters.
He went on to say that, among issues discussed with Azerbaijani officials, was the potential impact on the country of the recent brief war in neighboring Georgia.
"Certainly, the conflict in Georgia affects the situation over Upper Garabagh [Azerbaijan`s long-standing conflict with Armenia]. The latest developments indicated how threatening unresolved conflicts are."
The EU envoy said the parties to the conflict realized the need to take steps to resolve the dispute and renew effort in the peace process.
He also welcomed Turkey`s effort to reach a solution to the Garabagh problem, apparently referring to Ankara`s initiative to broker talks between Baku and Yerevan, as well as its recent proposal to set up a five-nation Caucasus union to bolster peace in the volatile region.
During the visit, Semneby met with President Ilham Aliyev, as well as the presidential chief-of-staff, foreign minister and the head of the OSCE election observation mission.