Month: February 2015

RUSSIAN BASE FOR CYPRUS

Hurriyet Daily news, Turkey
Feb 11 2015

by Yusuf Kanli

Officially whatever is left from the 1960 Cyprus Republic, it is
still “officially” a non-aligned country, even if there is no longer
a functional Non-Aligned movement. It seems like a bad joke. On part
of its territory there are two sovereign bases of NATO-member Britain.

With NATO-member France, it has a special defence cooperation agreement
that allows the French to use the Greek Cypriot military facilities,
including an ARIBAs. Again, NATO-member Greece has special and
advantageous defence cooperation agreements with the Greek Cypriot
state, allowing it to have free access to all military places. Israel
has special relations with the Greek Cypriot state. Furthermore, for
ages Greek Cypriots have been complaining that Turkey is blocking
their admission into the Partnership for Peace programmes, if not
full membership of NATO. What kind of a non-aligned status that is,
however, is difficult to understand.

Could it surprise anyone should someone come up with a claim that
Greek Cypriots were offering bases to Russia? Will this be the first
time such a flirtation will be in the cards? Was it not the Greek
Cypriot Finance Minister Michael Sarris who visited Moscow in March
2013 to offer bases to Russia in exchange of much needed easy loans
to overcome the worst financial crisis of south Cyprus in recent times?

Did not those talks collapse when the Russians did not find Greek
Cypriot offers juicy enough and ask for arrangements enjoyed by the
British bases -that is to have sovereign bases on Cyprus?

Through its proxy on Cyprus, the socialist Akel Party, Russians have
always been active in Cyprus diplomacy and local politics. There
are some claims that the July 15 Greece-engineered coup against
Archbishop Makarios as well as the July 20, 1974 Turkish intervention
the coup triggered were part of an effort to keep the island drifting
into Soviet camp. It is no secret, anyhow, that if not the sole one
Russia before and after the Cold War irrespectively has been one of
the staunchest allies of the Greek Cypriots at the UN Security Council.

Even when relations between Ankara and Moscow appeared to be
at their climax, Russia never parted from its pro-Greek Cypriot
stance on Cyprus. Was it not primarily because of Russia that in the
post-Annan plan period the report of former Secretary-General Kofi
Annan suggesting lifting of the international isolation of Turkish
Cypriots blocked at the UN? Well, of course there is, as well, always
the French connection that whatever odd happens against Turkey and the
Turks at the UN and other international forums, but that is related
more to the Armenian issue and an overall animosity towards Turkey
than support for Cyprus.

The latest euphoria over the Russian base on the Cyprus issue was
because of a slip of the tongue of President Nikos Anastasiades. He
did not even use the word “base” while briefing reporters about
upcoming agreements with Russia. He said among the agreements to be
signed, there will be one on “providing facilities for emergency and
humanitarian operations to Russian aircraft carriers.” Of course
there is a difference between “providing facilities” or “offering
facilities to facilitate humanitarian operations” and “offering bases.”

Even if they are “sovereign bases” of another country, a Non-Aligned
country should at least express discomfort with if such bases on its
territory are used in operations against neighbouring countries.

The Libya, Syria and Egypt policies of the Greek Cypriot government
demonstrate that military facilities of the island have become some
sort of NATO facilities. Except for Turkey whoever so far wanted to
use them was provided the required facilitations.

In those “good old Cold War days” late Archbishop Makarios was one
of the leading figures of the Non-Aligned Movement, along with Joseph
Broz Tito of the deceased Yugoslavia and India’s First Prime Minister
Jawaharlal Nehru. Yet, in those times as well, Greek Cypriots were
dangling in between Washington and Moscow, effectively employing a
tightrope policy and trying to make best use of antagonism between
the two… The end result has always been to alienate the Turkish
Cypriot population from the rest of the world and consolidate all Greek
Cypriot governance as the government of the entire island, even if that
contradicted the founding agreements and the constitution of the state.

That policy proved to be successful and is still continuing today.

Officially, Anastasiades is talking in Brussels to join NATO if
Turkey is be convinced, in Moscow he is offering free use of bases
to Russians. Yet no one is talking about the 2010 agreement signed
between Israel and Greek Cyprus…

This is a dirty game. Anyhow, Greek Cypriots have officially denied
that no bases were offered to Russia, and the world must believe to
what’s said…

ERDOGAN STRONGLY CONDEMNS TERRORISM DURING LATIN AMERICA TOUR

Cihan News Agency (CNA), Turkey
February 11, 2015 Wednesday

Ä°STANBUL (CÄ°HAN)- President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said that
Turkey — a country that has experienced terrorist activity for
decades — is against all forms of terrorism and assured that Turkey
has no intention of expanding its territory or interfering with other
countries’ internal affairs.

Erdogan, who is on a tour of Latin America along with a delegation
of Turkish businessmen and ministers, was in Bogotá on Tuesday.

At a symposium called “1915: The longest year of the Ottoman Empire”
co-organized by Bogotá Externado University and Ankara University,
Erdogan talked about a number of foreign policy issues.

Erdogan said that when the word “terrorism” is mentioned, people
around the world first think about the Middle East, but other parts
of the world also suffer from terrorism.

“As long as Israeli oppression and Israeli terror continue, the
bleeding in the Middle East and the entire human conscience will never
stop,” said Erdogan. He said Turkey’s approach is humane when it comes
to the issues such as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and conflicts in
Syria, Iraq, Egypt and Libya. Erdogan stressed that it is not possible
for Turkey to support former military leader and current Egyptian
President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who came to power after a coup.

He dismissed international criticism of Turkey’s foreign policy and
said that this criticism is unjust and unethical.

“Turkey has no interest in other countries’ territories and no
intention of interfering with countries’ internal affairs. Turkey,
as a country that paid a heavy price as a result of terrorism,
is against all forms of terrorism and all terror organizations,”
said Erdogan. He added that Turkey wants peace in the region.

Erdogan also criticized Armenian President Serzh Sarksyan for
declining his invitation to the centennial commemorations of the
Battle of Canakkale this year on April 23-24. “Once again they are
rejecting our peace offer,” said Erdogan.

Armenia will be commemorating the 100th year of what it calls the
“Armenian genocide” at the end of World War l, during the days of
the Ottoman Empire. Traditionally Armenians commemorate the events
of 1915 every year on April 24. Turkey traditionally commemorates the
Battle of Canakkale on March 18. In an open letter to Erdogan, Sarksyan
rejected the president’s invitation last month. The Armenian diaspora
sees Turkey’s invitation as a “short-sighted attempt” to overshadow
the 100th anniversary ceremonies of the events of 1915 in Armenia.

Turkey has invited more than 100 countries to the Canakkale
commemoration ceremonies.

Erdogan met with Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos Calderon on
Tuesday and held a joint press conference after their meeting. Erdogan
announced in the meeting that Turkey and Colombia signed seven
agreements on military, political, economic, commercial, educational
and cultural issues.

Turkey and Colombia signed the Turkey-Colombia Cooperation Framework
Agreement, a plan for cultural cooperation, as well as a memorandum
of agreement in the tourism sector and a memorandum of understanding
on agriculture.

Erdogan called on Colombian construction companies to invest in
Turkey. He also said that the Turkish Cooperation and Development
Agency (TÄ°KA) will soon open an office in Colombia to work on
education, culture and other issues.

After completing his Colombia visit, President Erdogan arrived in
Havana late Tuesday.

ERDOGAN REAFFIRMS TURKEY’S PEACE EFFORTS WITH ARMENIA OVER 1915 EVENTS

Anadolu Agency, Turkey
Feb 11 2015

by Hatice Kesgin and Izabela Kuczynska

BOGOTA, Colombia (AA) -Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called
on Armenia to examine the 1915 events through the lens of science
and not politics.

“Let us remove the 1915 events from the area of politics and refer to
science and scientists,” Erdogan said during a symposium on the topic,
co-organized by the Bogota Externado University and Ankara University.

Erdogan attended the event as part of his official visit to Colombia
Tuesday and said that what the Armenians did against the Turks
and what the Turks did against the Armenians 100 years ago was not
properly discussed.

“We have made an effort to fix relations with Armenia and to open
a new page,” the Turkish president said. “Unfortunately, our peace
hand has always been rejected by the influence of Armenian diaspora.”

“This year is the 100th anniversary. We are still reiterating our
sincere call,” Erdogan added.

In January, the Turkish president sent invitation letters to more
than 100 leaders, including Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan,
to participate in the commemoration of the Battle of Canakkale on
April 24.

Sargsyan reportedly denounced Erdogan’s invitation as a “short-sighted”
attempt to overshadow the 100th anniversary of the 1915 events,
according to ArmeniaNow.com.

The 1915 events took place during World War I when a portion of the
Armenian population living in the Ottoman Empire sided with the
invading Russians and revolted against the empire. The uprisings
came about after a decision by the empire to relocate Armenians in
eastern Anatolia.

Armenia and Armenian diaspora term the events as “genocide” and ask
for compensation, whereas Turkey officially refutes this description,
saying that although Armenians died during relocations, many Turks also
lost their lives in attacks carried out by Armenian gangs in Anatolia.

“We will not give up in our efforts for peace and dialogue with
respect to the 1915 events,” Erdogan said.

At the end of his speech, Erdogan said he is thankful to the Ankara
University Research and Application Centre for Latin American Studies
(LAMER), an academic centre that was established in 2009.

-Turkey’s “very clear” stance on Israel

Erdogan said that Turkey’s stance on Israel was very clear.

“Israel should draw back to its 1967 borders, while a Palestinian
state with East Jerusalem as its capital should be established and
sovereign rights of the Palestinians should be respected,” he said.

Turkey’s president added that Turkey has objected many times to
Israel’s expansion policy and severe massacres.

“Turkey has paid a heavy price for terrorism in the country and
is certainly and clearly against all forms of terror and terrorist
organizations,” Erdogan said, adding that Turkey had no intention of
interfering in a country’s borders, territory or home affairs.

PM PLEDGES TO ELIMINATE “MINORITY” CONCEPT IN SOCIAL LIFE

Hurriyet Daily news, Turkey
Feb 12 2015

ANKARA

The Turkish government is determined to eliminate the phrase “minority”
in social life, regardless of whether it exists in international legal
documents, Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has said at a gathering
with opinion leaders from the country’s non-Muslim minorities.

“I consider this table to be a conversation circle around which not
only the new Turkey but also the new Balkans, the new Middle East
and the new Caucasus will be built together,” Davutoglu said in his
speech at the dinner he hosted late on Feb. 11.

“Whoever makes a distinction between ‘primary’ and ‘second-class’
citizens merely on the basis of the concept of being a religious
minority, then that person is putting dynamite in the foundations of
that state,” he added.

“As I had told the religious leaders who I gathered at Dolmabahce,
we are determined to eliminate the minority concept in social life,
though it may exist in some international legal documents such as
the Treaty of Lausanne,” he added, referring to the Lausanne Treaty,
in which the newly born Republic of Turkey defined its minorities and
their rights. On Jan. 2, Davutoglu had met with non-Muslim religious
leaders at the Prime Ministry’s office in the historic Dolmabahce
Palace in Istanbul.

However, before hosting non-Muslim leaders in Ankara on Feb. 11,
Davutoglu gave an interview to public broadcaster TRT Haber.

In the interview, broadcast live, Davutoglu criticized U.S.-based
Islamic scholar Fethullah Gulen for collaborating with certain circles,
including “anti-Islam lobbies,” in the run-up to the centennial
anniversary of the 1915 massacres of Ottoman Armenians in Anatolia,
which many say amounted to genocide.

Davutoglu also slammed main opposition Republican People’s Party
(CHP) leader Kemal Kılıcdaroglu for calling on people to take to
the streets against “authoritarianism” that he said is present in
the country.

“He [Kılıcdaroglu] says he will defend the rights of those who wear
masks [during demonstrations]. He uses expressions that indicate that
he will also defend the rights of those who throw Molotov cocktails.

At the same time, the head of the parallel structure is in the New
York Times,” he said in an unfinished sentence, referring to the New
York Times’ publishing of an editorial penned by Gulen on Feb. 3 that
was full of criticism against the government, including on the issue
of minorities’ rights.

“An individual who is viewed with very great respect by a segment of
this country, or a movement that is regarded with respect, would he
pen an article in a way that would mobilize anti-Turkey lobbies and
anti-Islam lobbies in America, at a time when the country is passing
through the most critical thresholds?” Davutoglu asked.

“It is like you are attempting ‘whistleblowing’ only two months before
April 24, when people are trying to mobilize all of the American
lobbies,” he said, referring to the tradition date on which the 1915
events are commemorated by Armenians.

“When we are considering what kind of measures we would take against
an attack on Turkey in the 100th anniversary, you published an article
provoking and encouraging aggressors,” the prime minister added.

February/12/2015

From: A. Papazian

TURKISH PRESIDENT ERDOGAN PRESENTS CUBA MOSQUE PROJECT TO CASTRO

Hurriyet Daily News, Turkey
Feb 12 2015

HAVANA

Although Cuban officials have already agreed with Saudi Arabia for
the construction of a mosque in Havana, Turkish President Recep Tayyip
Erdogan has told Cuban President Raul Castro that Ankara would like to
conduct its own project similar to Istanbul’s iconic Ortaköy mosque
in another Cuban province.

Speaking to reporters after meeting with Castro in Havana on Feb. 11,
Erdogan said Cuban officials had already made an agreement with Saudi
Arabia for the construction of a mosque in Havana.

“We want to build the mosque ourselves. We don’t want a partner. If
you find it appropriate, we would like to build it in Havana. But if
you have promised a Havana mosque to other people, then we can build
our Ortaköy Mosque in another Cuban province,” Erdogan quoted himself
as saying to Castro.

Mustafa Tutkun, the vice general manager of Turkey’s Directorate of
Religious Affairs (Diyanet), announced in November 2014 that Ankara
had been negotiating with Cuban officials to build a mosque on two
hectares of land in Havana’s historic center. The Diyanet had proposed
the construction of a mosque similar to the picturesque Ortaköy
Mosque in Istanbul, which was built by Ottoman Armenian architects
Garabet and Nigogayos Balyan in 1856.

Erdogan added on Feb. 11 that “Cuban officials have no negative
attitude” regarding the issue, stressing that the Turkish Cooperation
and Coordination Agency (TÄ°KA), as well as the Diyanet, will finalize
the deal.

He also said he recommended combining Cuba’s culture and tourism
ministries to Castro, like Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development
Party (AKP) did. “Then, Cuba’s tourism revenues can be used in
cultural projects,” Erdogan said, adding that Castro agreed with him,
but jokingly responded that he was actually thinking about abolishing
both ministries.

The mosque that ‘Columbus saw’

The Turkish president hit international headlines in November when
he claimed that Christopher Columbus had seen a mosque in Cuba when
the first European explorer discovered the New World in 1492.

“Muslim sailors arrived at the shores of America in 1178. In his
diaries, Christopher Columbus referred to the presence of a mosque on
top of a mountain in Cuba,” Erdogan said on Nov. 15, 2014, speaking
at the closing ceremony of the first Latin American Muslim Leaders
summit in Istanbul.

Dr. Youssef Mroueh of the as-Sunnah Foundation of America had
publicized the claim about a pre-Columbian mosque in Cuba, writing
in 1996: “Columbus admitted in his papers that on Monday, Oct. 21,
1492 CE while his ship was sailing near Gibara on the north-east
coast of Cuba, he saw a mosque on top of a beautiful mountain.”

Some Muslim scholars aside, the same diary entry is widely understood
as a metaphoric reference to a protuberance on the summit of a mountain
that resembled a mosque’s dome or minaret.

February/12/2015

From: Baghdasarian

OSCE MG MEETING IN HELSINKI TO CONTRIBUTE TO KARABAKH CONFLICT’S SETTLEMENT

Cihan News Agency, Turkey
Feb 12 2015

BAKU – 12.02.2015 14:15:51

The meeting in Helsinki on the settlement of the Armenian-Azerbaijani
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is a good opportunity for exchange of views
and information on the current situation on resolving the conflict,
Finnish Foreign Ministry’s roving Ambassador for the South Caucasus
Christer Michelsson told Trend on Feb.12.

He said Finland will continue supporting the efforts of OSCE Minsk
Group on the conflict’s settlement.

Michelsson added that the co-chairs are trying to resolve the conflict
on the basis of Madrid principles. “Three meetings were held between
Azerbaijani and Armenian presidents in 2014 and we hope that these
meetings will continue.”

OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs, James Warlick (the US), Pierre Andrieu
(France) and Igor Popov (Russia), as well as OSCE Chairperson-in-Office
Personal Representative Andrzej Kasprzyk are on a visit to Finland.

Currently, the co-chairs are holding meetings with Finland’s Foreign
Minister Erkki Tuomioja and the Secretary of State at Finland’s
Foreign Ministry Peter Stenlund.

OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs will pay a visit to Azerbaijan on Feb.15,
following which they will visit Armenia.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in
1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a
result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied
20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and
seven surrounding districts.

The two countries signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs
of the OSCE Minsk Group, Russia, France and the US are currently
holding peace negotiations.

Armenia has not yet implemented the UN Security Council’s four
resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the
surrounding regions.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

NO CO-OP ISSUES DISCUSSED BETWEEN EU SPECIAL REP, KARABAKH SEPARATISTS

Trend Daily News (Azerbaijan)
February 11, 2015 Wednesday 4:09 PM GMT +4

Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb.11
By Seba Aghayeva – Trend:

Cooperation was not discussed during the meeting between EU Special
Representative for the South Caucasus and the crisis in Georgia Herbert
Salber and the so-called foreign minister of the separatist regime
in Nagorno-Karabakh, Karen Mirzoyan, EU Delegation to Azerbaijan told
Trend on Feb.11.

It was the first meeting of Salber with the representatives of the
separatist regime, said the EU Delegation.

“It was solely focused on initiating a dialogue. Such thing as
cooperation was never discussed.”

Herbert Salber met with the so-called foreign minister of the
separatist regime in Nagorno-Karabakh, Karen Mirzoyan on Feb.10.

“We will surely continue such type of dialogue, such types of contacts
that we had today,” Armenian media quoted Salber as saying during
that meeting. “It was my first meeting with the representative of
Nagorno-Karabakh. We will continue this dialogue and will see which
ways can be found for continuing our contacts.”

The EU Delegation said that Azerbaijani authorities were well aware
of such a meeting being prepared, as it was discussed with them on
previous occasions, for instance during the last visit of the EU
special representative to Baku in mid-January 2015.

EU Delegation added that the EU special representative has always
been meeting with representatives of the IDPs in Baku.

“The EU special representative finds it important to listen to all
sides, to get acquainted with their positions,” said the EU delegation
to Azerbaijan. “All contacts are also useful to underline EU’s support
for the efforts undertaken by the OSCE Minsk Group.”

Commenting on the mentioned meeting, the spokesperson of Azerbaijani
Foreign Ministry Hikmet Hajiyev told Trend on Feb.10 that the EU can
play a role in promoting contacts between the Azerbaijani and Armenian
communities of Nagorno-Karabakh.

“Armenians living in Azerbaijan’s Nagorno-Karabakh region are also
Azerbaijani citizens,” said the spokesperson.

“During his visit to Azerbaijan in October 2014, Salber met with the
representatives of the Azerbaijani community of Nagorno-Karabakh and
became familiar with their views on the conflict’s settlement.”

Azerbaijani side has repeatedly said that contacts are needed
between the Azerbaijani and Armenian communities of Azerbaijan’s
Nagorno-Karabakh region and EU can pay a role in promoting such
contacts, according to Hajiyev.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in
1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a
result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied
20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and
seven surrounding districts.

The two countries signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs
of the OSCE Minsk Group, Russia, France and the US are currently
holding peace negotiations.

Armenia has not yet implemented the UN Security Council’s four
resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the
surrounding regions.

Edited by SI

ANKARA CANCELS MEETING OF EU-TURKEY JOINT PARLIAMENTARY COMMITTEE

Trend Daily News (Azerbaijan)
February 11, 2015 Wednesday 5:48 PM GMT +4

Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb.11
By Rufiz Hafizoglu – Trend:

Ankara has cancelled the next meeting of the EU-Turkey Joint
Parliamentary Committee as the committee’s agenda included discussions
on the “Armenian genocide”, Hurriyet newspaper reported on Feb.11.

The meeting was to be held on Feb.18-19 in Turkey’s Istanbul city.

Earlier, Turkey’s authorities warned the EU that Ankara will refuse
to hold the EU-Turkey Joint Parliamentary Committee’s meeting if its
agenda includes discussions on the “Armenian genocide”.

Armenia and the Armenian lobby claim that Turkey’s predecessor, the
Ottoman Empire allegedly carried out “genocide” against the Armenians
living in Anatolia in 1915. Turkey in turn has always denied “the
genocide” took place.

While strengthening the efforts to promote the “genocide” in the
world, Armenians have achieved its recognition by the parliaments of
some countries.

Although Turkey has repeatedly proposed to create an independent
commission to investigate the events of 1915, Armenia continues to
reject this proposal.

Moreover, previously, Turkish authorities have repeatedly made gestures
to Armenia. Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s message to the Armenian people on
April 24, 2014 is one of such recent gestures.

Erdogan said in that message that the events of 1915 were a
difficult time not only for Armenians, but also for Arabs, Kurds and
representatives of other nations living in the country.

THE FINANCIAL TIMES PUBLISHES INTERVIEW WITH ALI HASANOV

The Azerbaijan State Telegraph Agency
Feb 12 2015

12.02.2015 [22:11]

London, February 12, AzerTAc

The Financial Times has published an interview with Head of the
Political and Public Affairs Department at the Azerbaijani Presidential
Administration Ali Hasanov, in which he highlights the country`s
position on the Ukraine conflict.”

In general, Azerbaijan is against military forms of solving conflicts.

We believe that in the present world there are more powerful tools
for solving conflicts than military ones,” he said.Azerbaijan avoids
aligning itself explicitly either with the west or with Russia in
its foreign policy.

Mr Hasanov said Azerbaijan was disappointed that western governments
had not taken an equally firm stand against Armenia’s seizure of
the Nagorno-Karabakh and seven other districts in Azerbaijan. “Our
objection is to the double standards in the west on this issue. In one
conflict the west calls them separatists, in the other they don’t,”
Mr Hasanov said.

He blamed a recent spate of violent incidents between Armenian and
Azerbaijani forces on “internal forces in Armenia who are trying to
strengthen their positions”.

He suggested that the US and its allies should take action to eject
Armenia from international bodies, such as the Council of Europe and
the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe.

Mr Hasanov emphasized Baku’s co-operation with Washington on
counter-terrorism and energy, and blamed disagreements over human
rights on non-governmental organisations based in the US rather than
on the American government itself.

“Unfortunately, there are forces who use these incidents to cause a
deterioration in US-Azerbaijani relations and to undermine the image
of Azerbaijan. But other than that, Azerbaijan is committed to its
strategic partnerships with western countries,” he said.

Mr Hasanov noted that Azerbaijan shared a problem with western
countries in that about 300 Azerbaijanis had gone to fight in Syria
with Islamist extremists, posing a potential security threat upon
their return home.”Some forces want to see Azerbaijan as a radical
fundamentalist country. Some forces are intent on undermining the
secular path of Azerbaijan,” he said.

Mr Hasanov said the government was confident it could ride out the
effect of sharply falling oil prices on its budget and development
plans, partly because it was introducing new taxes on bank deposits,
property sales and luxury items such as imported cars.He stressed
that no new taxes would be imposed on the private, non-oil sector of
the economy.

He ruled out an abrupt devaluation of the manat, Azerbaijan’s currency,
but said the government was considering a managed downward adjustment
in line with the euro, which has been falling against the dollar.

Orkhan IsmayılovSpecial Correspondent

NEW US AMBASSADOR TO AZERBAIJAN IS URGED ON FACEBOOK TO VISIT POLITICAL PRISONERS UPON HIS ARRIVAL

AzeriReport
Feb 12 2015

BAKU. February 12, 2015. The new US Ambassador to Azerbaijan, due to
arrive there today, has asked the local public for an advice. A post
on the US Embassy’s Facebook page requested the Azerbaijani Facebook
users to “vote on his first cultural excursion!” The Ambassador’s
own intro video, also posted on the Embassy’s FB page, asked the same
question from the Azerbaijani audience.

The overwhelming majority of comments under the post urge the
Ambassador to take his first visit to the Kurdakhani prison near
the capital Baku, where many of the country’s political prisoners
are held. Because so many prominent intellectuals, civil activists,
and well-educated youth leaders have been imprisoned in the Kurdakhani
jail, it has been dubbed by some as “Kur De Khani University”.

The Embassy’s post specifically referred to a “cultural excursion” and
Ambassador’s video named a few examples of cultural and natural sites,
such as Yanardag, a hill with naturally gas fire burning on the top,
the pre-historic Gobustan area, and Beshbarmag Mountains in the north.

But they seem to have got a different kind of response from what they
expected. The Azerbaijani public appears to have clearly spoken out
in favor of paying attention to the rapidly deteriorating situation
with human rights in Azerbaijan.

Some even poked at the suggestion of seeing natural sites in the midst
of the ongoing severe crackdown on civil society, including US radio
station Radio Liberty and other Western-backed institutions. One
comment said: “First you must go to Yanardag. Thats joke Of course
first you must go Kurdekhani Prison its near to center. Because too
many political prisoners and journalists in jail now. Good luck!”.

Some also advised to go to the Alley of Martyrs, a memorial cemetery
for those fallen during the fight for Azerbaijan’s independence
from the Sovit Union and in Karabakh war with Armenia. Few asked to
visit families of Azerbaijani hostages held by Armenian forces and
see refugees from the Karabakh conflict. But the great majority of
over 170 comments by 9 AM EST today pointed to the Kurdekhani jail
and the urgent need to deal with the issue of political prisoners in
the country.

One commenter expressed hopes that “New Ambasador will not be bowing
before the statue of Aliyev”. She was referring to the infamous visit
by Ambassador Richard Morningstar, Mr. Cekuta’s predecessor. Mr.

Morningstar stirred a controversy when at his first public appearance
in Azerbaijan as the US Ambassador he bowed down to the giant statue
of Heydar Aliyev – the late Azerbaijani dictator and former Soviet
Communist Politburo boss and KGB general, who is the founder of the
ruling regime and also is the father of the current president.

The US Embassy in Baku has also come under criticism recently
for failing to provide adequate help to the persecuted prominent
Azerbaijani rights activist, Emin Huseynov, whose wife is an American
citizen. An article in Foreign Policy (FP) magazine says the Mr.

Huseynov tried to seek help from the US Embassy in Baku in face of an
imminent imprisonment but was denied protection. He had to go to the
Swiss Embassy instead, where he has received protection and has been
hiding for the past 6 months. The FP article also cites the case of
a US Citizen Said Nuri, a former Azerbaijani dissident, who has been
detained during his recent visit to Azerbaijan and complained about
the lack of adequate help from the US Embassy there.

Whether the Ambassador will heed the loud and clear calls to visit
the political prisoners as the first priority, whether he will
shy away from such a visit or if he too will choose to bow down to
the dead local dictator remains to be seen, as he is arriving to
Azerbaijan today. But the Embassy’s response to the comments on its
post promised: “Friends, thank you so much for taking the time to
share your suggestions in such a creative way. We hear you and will
make sure the Ambassador does too!”

Below are some print-screens from the Facebook page of the US Embassy
in Baku and comments under it (Azeri Report):