Azerbaijan, Baku, March 19 / Trend , E.Ostapenko/
Azerbaijan opted for an open and democratic society as a priority for development, Azerbaijani Presidential Administration Chief-of-Staff Ramiz Mehdiyev said.
"This is our strategic choice, the most important vector of public policy," Mehdiyev said in an interview with the Izvestiya newspaper on March 19.
Azerbaijan has set off on a path that some countries have traveled for centuries.
Azerbaijan believes that a key condition for successful reform is political and economic stability, which provides for the gradual movement towards democracy, Mehdiyev said.
"The government's role in this process is one of guidance and leadership," he said.
Owing to the centralization of authority in Azerbaijan, it has been possible to establish a nation based on the principles of independence, Mehdiyev added.
"Democracy in Azerbaijan is sometimes criticized, without a clear explanation of what our weaknesses are. Some say our democracy is not perfect enough," he said.
Subjective arguments are made and highlighted as a basis to rollback Azerbaijan's democratic principles at times, Mehdiyev said.
"But Azerbaijan is entering a new era when society entrusts authorities with shaping tomorrow," he said.
Mehdiyev said democracy is a new concept for Azerbaijanis. In 1918, Azerbaijanis were the first in the Muslim East to build a democratic state - the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic (ADR).
The ADR parliament included representatives of almost all political forces operating in the country.
"The ideals of liberty and equality have been present in the archetype of Azerbaijani mentality from time immemorial. Everyone knows that elats, tribal entities of the Azeri Turks, followed the principles of democratic governance," Mehdiyev said.
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