01 December 2003, 15:24
Andreas Gross: "Presidential elections became one of the biggest problems for Azerbaijan"
The elections in Azerbaijan did more than not contribute to strengthening stability, they became one of the biggest problems for Azerbaijan, Andreas Gross, a member of the PACE Monitoring Committee, stated in his interview with Deutsche Welle Radio.
A lot of people in Azerbaijan are in despair, according to him. "They are indignant and do not know what to undertake. This is an extremely dangerous situation. It is more dangerous than that one in Georgia. After all, today's Georgia is moving towards further democratization in fact. But in Azerbaijan we see a cold and frozen society. I am very concerned that the situation in Azerbaijan can become even much worth in the future as I have not heard anything from the new president that points to his readiness for reforms," Andreas Gross said.
He believes that "the peaceful revolution in Georgia gives hope to many Azerbaijanians."
"All sides can learn much from former president Shevardnadze and from the Georgian opposition. They all rejected violence and acted in a wise manner, which I have not seen in Azerbaijan for the last years," stated Andreas Gross.
Source: KavkazWeb.net Website
