HOW USEFUL AZERBAIJAN IS
Igor Muradyan
Story from Lragir.am News:
14:44 16/01/2013
The “family” ruling in Azerbaijan and pro-family people possess
considerable wealth which is impossible to absorb in Azerbaijan due
to political and economic reasons. Therefore, huge assets are created
abroad in the form of oil refineries and oil and gas transportation
facilities, as well as liquid assets.
Besides these financial operations Azerbaijan buys a lot of weapon,
increasingly expensive, which makes it attractive for suppliers. Big
companies and governments of different countries are tasked to pump
as much money from Azerbaijan as possible, and its role is identified
by strong participants of global politics.
At the same time, it is understood that Azerbaijan’s “oil” status is
for a short term, and this is an essential factor in the review of
the usefulness of this country in the nearest and remote future. Of
course, this is a partially simplified scheme and there are different
nuances and specific aspects but it should be noted that the full
picture of the objectives of foreign partners regarding Azerbaijan
differ greatly from the simple option.
It was possible to get convinced of this by reviewing separate
objectives of the activities of the ruling “family” abroad. First,
it should be noted that the ruling “family” was unable to get close
to not only the global political elite but also to the partners of
the second circle. So far the “family” has been unable to get real
guarantees from any of the states which have participated in the
project of the century.
The United Kingdom is said to have certain obligations to the “family”
which prefers to be the guardian of the “family” rather than the state
of Azerbaijan. According to the British policy makers, first, the
role of safeguard of such an insignificant country as Azerbaijan would
be highly inappropriate for the United Kingdom. Second, the “family”
behaves so that it is impossible to cover up its activities any more.
As of today, one cannot find a publication in the respectable (and
non-respectable) British press which would present Azerbaijan’s policy
in a positive light. One can easily find such in the media of some
Eastern European countries and other regions which have no importance
for the international public opinion. Unlike the United States and
Russia, Azerbaijan has been unable to find in the UK a more or less
eminent author who would agree to defend Azerbaijan’s interests. In
the meantime, Azerbaijan spends immense money on “work” with a lot of
politicians and officials of private companies in London. The task of
pumping money from Azerbaijan is performed successfully but is it so
effective from the point of view of national interests which differ
from the interests of the “family”?
However, the role and activities of the state on the international
arena is not limited to propaganda. Achieving a place in the Security
Council and promoting its interests in European organizations,
Azerbaijan has encountered zero results. Acting as military
transport and a platform for intelligence in the Caspian and Iranian
directions for the Euro-Atlantic community, Azerbaijan was unable
to obtain anything significant in the scheme of balance of relations
Armenia-Azerbaijan-West.
After the visits and statements of high-ranking representatives of the
West it became known that Azerbaijan cannot get new positions. Baku
has already felt the policy of the United States and European powers
to keep a distance from Azerbaijan and Turkey because these relations
are thought to expose their interests. At the same time, Azerbaijan has
to meet the condition of self-isolation from the Islamic world which,
for its part, is not interested in close cooperation with Azerbaijan.
The Euro-Atlantic community has approved the plan of accelerating
integration with Armenia, which is aimed at sustaining the balance of
forces in the region and prevention of Armenia’s isolation. Similarly,
the West has set limitations on the relations between Azerbaijan
and Russia, which is absurd from the point of view of Azerbaijan’s
interests. As to Turkey, Baku has understood that Ankara has its
own plans and interests, and Turkey does not possess resources and
opportunities to resolve Azerbaijan’s problems.
Recently Azerbaijan has lost its main political factor in the
international arena – the oil projects were immediately depoliticized,
and the gas projects have no chance to acquire political importance.
Meanwhile, it has been the main bid since Heidar Aliyev and the
Azerbaijani society.
Hence, ruled by a vulnerable family, Azerbaijan has revealed its
cards to the West and other countries without getting the needed and
expected role and importance. The question is why? There are things
which do not become known at once. The highly unpleasant impression
made by the family and the elite, that is inappropriate political
and social behavior, a faulty geopolitical position in which there
is nothing valuable, especially alternatives, the inability to solve
political and national issues independently, preference of parasitical
behavior, including the use of money, lack of army building abilities,
total fiasco in ensuring combat readiness of the army due to ethnic
and social disadvantage.
From: Baghdasarian