US official: The state of human rights in Azerbaijan can be and must be better

"The state of human rights in Azerbaijan can be and must be better," US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State on Democracy, Human Rights and Labor Thomas Melia told journalists in Baku.

Noting that he had held effective meetings with officials, chairmen of political parties and media representatives in Azerbaijan, US official said democracy and human rights were in the focus of attention.

"The major point that we underlined was that America’s cooperation with the states, which gained achievements in the field of human rights, is successful. We call on the Azerbaijani government to attach more importance to this sphere," he said.

Touching on the development of independent media in Azerbaijan, Thomas Melia expressed his hope that more favorable conditions would be created for independent media, various obstacles would be eliminated. Characterizing democracy as a top priority for the US government, Melia said any country wishing to strengthen ties with the US must work more resolutely in this field.

According to him, the points concerning free media, election and political activity in the Azerbaijan-related reports released by a number of international organizations show that work must be done in this field.


/APA/