The invitation of the SCO as an observer speaks of Azerbaijan's desire for democratic and open elections, the head of the observer mission from the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), Deputy Secretary General of the SCO Nuran Niyazaliyev said at a press conference on September 2, Report informs.
He noted that 16 observers from eight SCO member states were accredited as part of the mission.
"As soon as we received the invitation from the Azerbaijani side, the SCO member states unanimously supported the organization's participation and formed an observation mission," he said.
He emphasized that the mission freely received the necessary information, freely visited all polling stations and familiarized itself in detail with the work carried out by the Central Election Commission to prepare and conduct the elections.
"All necessary conditions were created in Azerbaijan for the work of our mission on comprehensive monitoring, which is a confirmation of the maximum openness, transparency and commitment to the democratic principles of the country," he said.
Niyazaliyev also noted that during the preparation period, the mission members visited 57 polling stations in Baku and its suburbs.
"We would like to especially note that our colleagues visited the polling stations without the consent of the election commission, and no obstacles were created to visit the polling stations," he added.
He said that the observers note the professional level of training of the members of the election commissions.
"They provided the necessary conditions for the voting procedure and maintained impartiality," he said.