Azernews.Az

US Congresswoman Allyson Schwartz has issued a statement criticizing the political situation in Armenia.
The lawmaker from the state of Pennsylvania who visited the South Caucasus countries late last month told a news briefing that she was deeply troubled by the developments ongoing in the country. She said she had talks in Yerevan with opposition representatives and the family members of political prisoners jailed by the authorities. The congresswoman emphasized that over 100 persons were imprisoned strictly for politically-motivated reasons. The mass protests that followed the country's presidential elections in February were quelled, while the opposition remains outside political developments.
Commenting on the meetings held in Baku, Schwartz said she was impressed by President Ilham Aliyev's Western-leaning approach. Views were exchanged on ways of ensuring the conduct of free and fair presidential elections in October and the development of democratic institutions in the country.
Also on the agenda was the Armenia-Azerbaijan Upper (Nagorno) Garabagh conflict. "President Aliyev's statements and remarks were right. The key issue now is to back up these words with actions," the lawmaker said.
The member of the House of Representatives committee on support to democracy Schwartz, who represents the Democratic Party, has lately joined the legislature's working group on Azerbaijan, thus bringing the total number of pro-Azeri US lawmakers to 41. The key goal of the taskforce is to expand relations between the two countries.