Azerbaijan, Baku / Т corr K. Ramazanova / The United States hope the upcoming elections in Azerbaijan will be the best in the Azerbaijani history, the US Assistant Secretary of State for European & Eurasian Affairs Daniel Fried said at a press conference on 5 November. "The stronger the elections are, the stronger Azerbaijan's mandates are in the international community," he said.
According to Fried, the United States want Azerbaijan to carry out democratic reforms not only because the United States consider them important, but also because that is advantageous for Azerbaijan. The United States wants to see Azerbaijan as a strong, free, independent, prosperous and reforming country. "Week Azerbaijan does nothing to the United States. A strong Azerbaijan is in our interests. A strong Azerbaijan needs to have strong independent institutions, as well as a strong Government. It needs a strong Government, but a strong independent opposition. It needs a strong free press, a strong independent judiciary, and a strong banking system. Freedom and democratic reforms are deeply stabilizing, not destabilizing," he said. The United States will assist Azerbaijan in reforming and in gaining independence, Fried noted.
