The early presidential elections in Azerbaijan will be held on February 7. The closer to the date, the stronger the political hysteria around this event. A strong state, powerful governance, and close ties with the Azerbaijani people after the Karabakh events annoy European and American politicians who are beginning to put pressure on Baku.

   Former U.S. Ambassador to Azerbaijan Richard Kauzlarich said that the government of this country is sabotaging the mediation efforts of the United States and the EU on the Karabakh issue, oppressing the opposition, and that this could lead to a deterioration of relations. According to the diplomat, Baku wants to impose "its idea of peace," although it seems strange that the country cannot express its point of view, which corresponds to the national interests of Azerbaijan. The American diplomat also noted that the early presidential elections will not differ from the previous ones; they will be unfree and unfair.

   A few days after this speech by the ambassador, on January 22, 2024, at the first meeting of the winter session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, the plenary powers of the Azerbaijani delegation were not approved, and the right to vote was limited. The reason for the restrictions is that the Azerbaijani government does not allow EU observers to monitor the humanitarian situation in Artsakh, and does not allow meetings with the so-called Armenian political prisoners who are being held in Baku. Representatives of Azerbaijan calmly reacted to this political sting with a confident statement: the Karabakh issue has been resolved. The European Court of Human Rights also continues to put pressure on Baku, but in reality, this is just another attempt to undermine the social and political situation in a difficult region. The threatening rhetoric of Armenia's ambassador to the EU, Tigran Balayan, who insists that the European Union is obliged to impose sanctions against the government of Azerbaijan.

   The situation on the eve of the elections is also escalating inside the country: on January 25, the EU ambassador to Azerbaijan did not hesitate to leave a sarcastic remark on social networks for the Baku authorities: «I was appalled by the reports of treatment of some of the journalists arrested in Azerbaijan, particularly young women...»

Such statements are supported by the opposition in exile. Zhala Bayramova, daughter of Azerbaijani political prisoner Gubad Ibadoghlu, says: «After each crackdown against civil society, Azerbaijan MPs’ accreditation and sanctions were brought up in PACE. «Through caviar diplomacy, millions of euros that were sent to corrupt officials played in Azerbaijan’s hands for years. We are not a business company for anybody to have contracts disregarding human rights situations!».

   Despite all the efforts of European and American politicians, many sociological studies show a different result. The Australian company «Oracle Advisory Group» found out during surveys that 81.2% of respondents rate the political direction chosen by the government as correct, which means that the people of Azerbaijan have already made their choice.