February 6, 2008 - 15:09 AMT
Presidential election can bring Armenia closer to European standards
The EU is assured that the presidential election in Armenia will be fair and will be an advance on the parliamentary elections, European Commissioner for External Relations and European Neighborhood Policy Benita Ferrero-Waldner told a news conference in Yerevan.
The forthcoming election can bring Armenia closer to European democracy standards. I call on Armenia for joint work with the EU. As to the statement I made in Baku, it was misunderstanding that occurred. I did not say that Azerbaijan is the example of democracy but said I wished Azerbaijan could be such. This refers to Armenia and Georgia as well," she said.
She noted that Azerbaijan is an important gas supplier to Europe, which experiences shortage of Russian gas. "We intend to diversify energy carriers so as not to depend on Russia," Ms. Ferrero-Waldner said.