OSCE/ODIHR not attending Azerbaijan’s election due to its weakness, Russian FM

Moscow, October 12, AZERTAC The OSCE’s Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) decided not to attend the election in Azerbaijan due to its own weakness and looseness, said Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. He made the remarks at a press conference with OSCE Secretary General Lamberto Zannier. “States are obliged to invite observers, including those from the OSCE, and it doesn’t matter how many observers will arrive,” said Lavrov. “That’s not the secretariat’s fault, but the structure that exists sequentially is subject to tests due to its looseness, and those, who are small in number and refuse to turn it into a full-fledged organization, prefer to keep it like that for it to be easily manipulated,” the Russian Minister explained. Earlier, OSCE press office released a statement of the ODIHR Director Michael Link, saying that no observer mission will be sent for the parliamentary election to be held in Azerbaijan November 1.