Baku News

BAKU. Jan 31 (Interfax) - The leader of the opposition party Popular Front of Azerbaijan Ali Kerimli has said he is ready to negotiate with the authorities. "There has been a dialogue with the party in power and it may resume. The only issue that may be touched upon in the dialog is the creation of election commissions on a parity basis," he said at a press conference on Tuesday. "The provisions of the resolution of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) on the creation of election commissions on the basis of the proposals of the Council of Europe's Venice Commission should promote the dialog," Kerimli said. At the same time, a discussion of the principles underlining the creation of election commissions is without prospects, executive secretary of the ruling Yeni Azerbaijan party Ali Akhmedov said. "The current elections administration and the principles for forming election commissions are optimal and objectively reflect the situation in the country. We support the existing format," he told journalists on Tuesday. However, he expressed the authorities' readiness to negotiate with the opposition. "If our opponents do not promote actions to hamper dialogue, I think it will become possible in the near future," Akhmedov said.