Ali Hasanov, head of the public and political department at President Ilham Aliyev’s office, has dismissed as “not objective” US President Barack Obama’s criticism of the Azeri government clampdown on NGOs.

“In places like Azerbaijan, laws make it incredibly difficult for NGOs even to operate,” Obama said in remarks at the Clinton Global Initiative in New York on September 23. 

He said “endless regulations and overt intimidation” increasingly target civil society in countries from Hungary to Egypt.

The remarks by Obama and reports by human rights groups such as Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and Freedom House aim to “pressure our state, which is pursuing independent policies”, Hasanov said in an interview with state news agency Azartac.

“Azerbaijan is an independent country,” Hasanov said. “It pursues domestic and foreign policies in keeping with its national interests. It has no intention of backing down from these policies or follow orders from anyone else.”

Bakudaily.Az