Azerbaijan President Says No Revolutions In His Country
June 28, 2005
Azeri President Ilham Aliyev (file photo)
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28 June 2005 (RFE/RL) -- Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev says he believes that a popular uprising like those recently in Georgia, Ukraine, and Kyrgyzstan cannot develop in Azerbaijan.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is scheduled to travel to Azerbaijan on 29 June for a two-day visit in which he is expected to urge greater democracy in the country. Turkey and Azerbaijan are close allies.
In advance of the visit, Turkey's CNN-Turk TV interviewed Aliyev in Baku and asked him if a popular uprising could be brewing in Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan's ruler responded, "Absolutely not." The interview aired in Istanbul today.
Aliyev contrasted Azerbaijan with Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, and Ukraine. He said that in those countries "there was no faith between the people and the government."
He said that Azerbaijani elections in November will be problem-free and "bright, democratic, and transparent."
(AP)