Despite the fact Azerbaijan is a more or less independent country from the economic viewpoint, it does not mean that the country can ignore international democracy standards, the head of the Yerevan Press Club Boris Navasardyan told NEWS.am, commenting on freedom of speech problems mentioned earlier today by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. 

“Even taking into account Azerbaijan’s relative economic independence from the U.S., it does not mean Washington will shut its eyes to democracy problems in the country,” he stated. Navasardyan noted that Armenia has problems with freedom of speech as well - though not so serious as Azerbaijan. “In the course of her visit to Armenia, Clinton pointed out the necessity for liberalizing the law on TV and radio broadcasting,” he added.

During her visit to Azerbaijan, the U.S. Secretary of State severely criticized the arrest of two Azerbaijani bloggers. She also pointed out democracy problems in Armenia.