Azerbaijan, Baku, 25 August / Trend corr. E.Babayev / Unification of the Azerbaijani opposition parties boycotting the presidential elections did not take place. "The first stage of negotiations is coming to end and the Azerbaijani National Independence Party (ANIP) and the Azerbaijani Democratic Party (ADP) have refused to participate in negotiations. Moreover, the Civil Solidarity Party and the Social Democratic Party were not involved in the talks," Fuad Mustafayev, the deputy chairman of the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan (PFPA), told Trend on 25 August.
The presidential elections will be held in Azerbaijan on 15 October. Azadlig bloc, uniting three opposition parties (the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan, the Liberal Party and the Citizen and Development Party), the Classical Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan, the Open Society Party, the Musavat Party, the Civil Solidarity Party, the Democratic Party, the Great Establishment Party, the Azadlig, the National Independence Party, the Social Democrat Party, as well as Eldar Namazov, the head of the Public Forum of 'For Azerbaijan', refused to participate in the elections with own candidates.
At the end of last week Azadlig bloc Board of Directors made a decision to establish a cooperation centre of parties boycotting the elections. The bloc authorized Mustafayev, the PFPA functionary, to hold negotiations.
According to Mustafayev, results of the first stage of negotiations will be publicized within this week. He refused to publicize political forces, which agreed to cooperate, whilst mentioned that the Open Society and Musavat party would agree to join the centre.
The main principle of cooperation is to accept and to confirm the elections as illegitimate. Mustafayev does not exclude that the established format might be passed. Essential details of joint political activities may be specified as a result the talks.
The correspondent can be contacted at [email protected]