Azerbaijan, Baku, 2 April / Trend corr S. Ilhamgizi/ The Deputy Executive Secretary of the governing New Azerbaijan Party (NAP) Siyavush Novruzov said that Europe's international organizations apply double standards towards Azerbaijan.
"Due to its thinking, education and culture, the Azerbaijani people may be equated to the European nations," Novruzov said at the conference ' Azerbaijan and Europe 2008' on 2 April which is taking place in Baku on the initiative of the British organization Links.
According to Novruzov, although unlike Armenia, Azerbaijan is participating in all NATO programs, the organization attitude towards both countries is the same. " Azerbaijan does not have a guardian and is independent. Azerbaijan unlike Armenia is not an outpost for other country. Baku does not have the George Bush Avenue unlike Georgia," he said.
Novruzov said that the elections in Azerbaijan usually take place more democratically than in Georgia and Armenia. Azerbaijan spends four months for pre-election process, while in Georgia the recent presidential elections were announced and held within a month and a half.
An employee of the Georgian Embassy in Azerbaijan voiced discontent with Novruzov's speech and said that the out of turn presidential elections in Georgia were held at force majeur circumstances. "Each side should search for its problems inside its country. So far, 3,000 Georgian soldiers have been serving in Iraq. Georgia is a European country and is currently expecting for being accepted to NATO," the diplomat said.
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