The Azerbaijan America Alliance Congratulates and Supports Azerbaijan in Re-electing President Aliyev

WASHINGTON, Oct. 15, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The Azerbaijan America Alliance joins with many others in the U.S. and around the world in congratulating and supporting Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev's overwhelming victory in a free and open election on October 9 as a continuation of his successful and stable leadership in a very challenging part of the world.

Azerbaijan, a key U.S. and European ally in the fight against global terrorism and in energy security for Europe, and the only country that borders both Iran and Russia, is receiving significant post-election media coverage reflecting the importance of the nation's political progress as a 22–year-old democracy.

However— in spite of numerous observer delegations, including former members of the U.S. House of Representatives, Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), European Parliament mission, and other groups and individuals from various democratic countries and non-government institutions praising the conduct of the elections —the U.S. State Department and some U.S. media have selectively focused on the accidental test release of a phone app's "placeholder" election results the day before the election and mainly the negative statements of one international observer delegation.

While irregularities and shortcomings before, during and after elections occur in many open and free democratic societies, including too often in the U.S. — a democracy that is more than ten times older than Azerbaijan — divergent views among the international observers require a cautious and non-patronizing reaction by the U.S. government and media and not the default mode perpetuation of convenient stereotypes.

The mission of the Azerbaijan America Alliance is to foster an atmosphere of mutual understanding and respect between the people of Azerbaijan and America. Through academic discussion, cultural programming, and political discourse, the Alliance aims to become the premier organization dedicated to promoting a lasting partnership between Azerbaijan and America.

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