Azerbaijan, Baku /corr Trend S.Agayeva / The United States calls on the Azerbaijani authorities to remove the shortages exiting in the sphere of human rights, indicated in the annual report by the US Department of State and is ready to assistance to the Government in this respect. Anne Derse, the US Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador to Azerbaijan, made this statement in a meeting with students of Khazar University. The annual report by the US Department of State specified Azerbaijan as a country, where the situation with human rights has worsened, she noted. Based on the report, the diplomat cited the frequent attacks on journalists, violation of rights for freedom of assembly, the worsening of situation in prisons, corruption in the legal system and police as negative milestones.
The Azerbaijani authorities are to remove the shortages, because Azerbaijan has undertaken serious obligations before the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), the Council of Europe, the European Union and NATO in the sphere of provision of human rights, the diplomat stressed. " Azerbaijan selected the way of statehood based on the western values and should meet these values through its decisiveness," Derse stressed. The Ambassador also noted that the progress achieved on the way of democratization. The report mentioned the religious tolerance, the attempts taken by the government in fighting against corruption, namely the establishment of State Commission on Drug Enforcement as positive milestones.
Azerbaijan is a country rich with energy and human resources and the Government can achieve democracy together with the people. The international community and the United States are ready to render every assistance and support the country 's authorities.