Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 15
By Anakhanum Khidayatova - Trend
The West should try to maintain stability of Azerbaijan and refrain from doing anything that undermines the stability of the country, Shayan Arya, an Iranian expert, human rights activist and member of Iran's Constitutionalist Party, told Trend Oct. 16.
He further said that West's sending observers, rather than boycotting the upcoming parliamentary election, could be a good start.
On Sept. 11, Michael Link, Director of the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), said that the ODIHR decided not to send an observer mission to the election in Azerbaijan. The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly later made a similar statement.
"At the end of the day, the legitimacy of the upcoming parliamentary election will be determined not by the West, but by the Azerbaijani people through their participation and enthusiasm," he added.
The expert noted that if the people of Azerbaijan participate in vast numbers with enthusiasm, then no one will be able to undermine the election's legitimacy.
Azerbaijan will hold the parliamentary election on Nov. 1.
Edited by SI
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