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CEC Press Service told APA that the CEC officials regretted such position of the EU Presidency, and stressed that 1250 international observers representing approximately 50.000 local and more than 100 influential international organizations had followed the presidential election in Azerbaijan. The statement reads that on October 16, the International Election Observation Mission (IEOM) with OSCE/ODIHR, PACE and European Parliament issued joint statement of preliminary findings and conclusions on presidential elections in Azerbaijan on October 15, 2008 and the election was assessed for its compliance with OSCE and Council of Europe commitments and standards for democratic elections, as well as Azerbaijani national legislation and marked considerable progress toward meeting OSCE and Council of Europe commitments and other international standards. “Andres Herkel, Head of PACE Observation Mission noted that considerable progress had been achieved in the election management of this year’s presidential elections in Azerbaijan in comparison with the previous ones. Chairman of CE Committee of Ministers Carl Bildt highly welcomed the improvements in the conduct of the elections in Azerbaijan and stated that it was highly regrettable that part of the opposition decided not to take part in the elections. The CEC is surprised at the expression “elections do not meet the international standards” used in the statement spread on behalf of the EU Presidency, which has not been met in any reports or statements of abovementioned or other organizations in regard to the presidential elections in Azerbaijan. It should be noted that High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy of the European Union Javier Solana emphasized that the elections had been held in quiet condition, without any breach of law and well-organized and he was satisfied with the changes to the Electoral Code and more fair conditions created for the oppositional candidates. EU Commissioner for External Relations Benita Ferrero-Waldner welcomed the considerable progress noted by OSCE in the conduct of the Presidential elections in Azerbaijan and noted that she was encouraged by the efforts to create more equitable legal conditions for opposition candidates in the elections. Thus, for unknown reasons, the essence of the statement spread by the EU Presidency does not coincide with the positions of thousands of observers followed the presidential elections as well as the positions of high-ranking officials of the European Union. The CEC considers that the position regarding the elections held in Azerbaijan is inexplicable in comparison with the letters of congratulation sent by the European Union in respect to the elections conducted in the neighboring countries at the beginning of 2008. Such position of the EU Presidency demonstrates disrespect for the will of Azerbaijani voters and it causes deep regret”.
