From: “Katia M. Peltekian” <[email protected]>
Subject: ALIYEV: Parliamentary elections in cannot turn to Orange Revolution
Today, Azerbaijan
Aug 23 2005
Ilham Aliyev: `Parliamentary elections in Azerbaijan cannot turn to
an `orange’ revolution’
23 August 2005 [10:53] – Today.Az
Future parliamentary elections in Azerbaijan cannot turn to an
`orange’ revolution, Ilham Aliyev, the Azerbaijani leader said in an
interview for Russian Newsweek magazine titled `Ilham Aliyev: «The
most important – to take a balance».
Taking questions from Leonid Parfenov, a writer of the magazine, the
head of state said that he parliamentary elections cannot turn to
`orange revolution’ due to some reasons. «Firstly, Azerbaijan is
presidential country and even the changes in forces in the parliament
the do not mean the changes in policy. Secondly, the nation has
confidence in the reforms. Over the past 6 months the Gross Domestic
Product (GDP) grew 17%, while over one and half year of my term in
power minimal salaries grew thrice and it is not the limit, the
public budget rose 60%. Thirdly, the peculiarities of the opposition
in difference to other countries of CIS are as follows it was in
power in 1992-1993 and collapsed. Over 10 years Azerbaijan has seen
the same people with the same position. So, there are not real terms
for state d’coup in Azerbaijan,’ Aliyev underscored.
The same time the President noted that a successful country is not
built without state control, no matter ho many hydrocarbons are in
the country. «This is my deep conviction and one of priorities in my
political activities. When 40% of people live out poverty, while a
year and half it was roughly 50% the democratization is not the theme
which worries people first of all. Azerbaijan is also concerned in
the problem of Nagorno-Karabakh, unemployment, corruption. However,
the problems cannot be resolved out of the democratic developments.
This is the world tendency and it is inevitable. The best variant is
to lead the processes,’ he underlined.
According to Aliyev, to date the level of development of the
Azerbaijani society, of course does not allow to apply the political
standards of the West Europe and North America. However, it is
possible to pursue a development policy, current non-readiness cannot
justify the maintenance of such situation. For a man well aware of
real world, the reverse direction is conservatism and isolation of
the country – is simply fatal.
Touching upon the presidential elections in Azerbaijan in autumn of
2003 Aliyev noted that understanding its loss in the presidential
elections, the opposition did not want to recognize it and took an
attempt on forced accession to power. «They accuse us in
overreaction, while the attacked on them and lorries ran over police.
The then break was a forced action. I am for a dialogue at table and
in the street. But how will the opposition behave on the elections
day and after the elections? They are actually the last chance for
those who sit chairs of `staff opposition’ for 10-15-years, Aliyev
underlined.
«We do not have any anxieties and our openness for the West – the
United States and Europe, means multi-billion American and English
investments, our active participation in the anti-terror fighting is
not a favorable state, but policy for the interests of the nation. In
the first year of the post-Soviet period Azerbaijan turned out a
country with spectral perspectives: civil war, occupation of Karabakh
by Armenia, and without integration into the world and western
investments we would never survive. We well understand it,’ the
Azerbaijani leader noted.
Touching upon the foreign political orientation of Baku Aliyev said,
«In difference to Armenia we are not advanced post of anyone. We hold
a real and independent policy and it is well in regard to neighbors.
In general, the most important in our region is the maintenance of
the balance. We have mutual trust relationships with Iran, for
instance we a Consulate in Tebriz, the center of South Azerbaijan.
Azerbaijan has a global problem, awaiting its resolution – the
Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh. In the context
of its resolution we could consider the variants for more active
military integration and only. Maybe, it is easy to have a political
patron, `elder brother’ – old or new, but it would never meet the
interests of Azerbaijan.
In the conclusion Aliyev noted that he easily imagines himself out of
the politics. «It is necessary to think over it, as the life does not
end with the power,’ the President underlined. (Trend)
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From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress