An invitation to the presidential elections in Azerbaijan is a sign of confidence in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) as an organization, CIS Secretary General Sergey Lebedev journalists expressing gratitude for the invitation to the elections.

According to Lebedev, observations of the preparations for the presidential elections last week indicate that everything is going "as planned, calmly, organized and, most importantly, in accordance with the legislation of Azerbaijan."

The CIS mission to observe the presidential elections in Azerbaijan has been operating in the country since January 17, and has been "in close contact with the Central Election Commission of Azerbaijan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as well as other structures responsible for organizing the elections."

"We are very grateful for the invitation to the elections. This invitation speaks of trust in us. Naturally, we have a desire to justify this trust. In addition, I must admit that this is a great responsibility, because we are expected to make an objective assessment of the elections. Our common goal is to do everything to ensure that the elections are organized in such a way that voters - citizens of Azerbaijan - have the right to freely express their will," he said.