France, Strasbourg / corr Trend A.Ismayilova / Terry Davis, the Council of Europe (CE) Secretary-General, voiced his hope to resolve the [Armenian-Azerbaijani] Nagorno-Karabakh conflict before the 2008 presidential election in Azerbaijan.
During talks with Azerbaijani journalists in Strasbourg on 30 May, he noted that it is up to the Azerbaijani and Armenian people. Davis stated his confidence that the presidential elections in Azerbaijan would not affect the negotiations process.
The CE Secretary-General said that the people of Azerbaijan should concentrate on education, health, employment and other problems. Due to the unsettlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia, too much money is spent by both countries on defense, whereas it could be directed at resolving social problems of both nations.
The CE Secretary-General also advised Azerbaijan to compete with Armenia in the organization of elections. " Azerbaijan should strive to improve on Armenia's election process" he noted.