AZERBAIJAN IS A COMBINATION OF ABSOLUTE MONARCHY AND PRIMEVAL PAGANISM: AZERI PRESS DIGEST
Regnum, Russia
May 19 2006
Real Azerbaijan writes about the propagation of the personality cult
of Heydar Aliyev (Azeri president in 1993-2003 – REGNUM). The daily
says: “After coming into power in 1993 and rejecting liberal values
and social democracy ideas, Heydar Aliyev began propagating his own
authoritarian ideology. In fact, this quasi-ideology is not based
on any basic political ideology and is just designed to acknowledge
the beatified messianism of Aliyev and his heirs. This ideology
harmoniously combines elements of absolute monarchy and primeval
paganism. Its basic rule is primeval worship of the cult of Power
itself and its only historical achievement is the victory over public
institutions, public consciousness and national dignity.”
Real Azerbaijan notes that there are all possible prerequisites for
development of political Islam in the country: “Unruly authorities,
gangster-policemen, pan-national depression and overall degradation –
this all is pushing tens of thousands of young and battle-worthy Azeris
into mosques. They prefer the justice of Allah to the voluntarism
of Heydarism. In fact, they have no third option. The headquarters
of political parties have become a place where they wash their
political corpses. Every day more and more youths are assembling in
mosques and are replenishing the shafi, hambali, shiah and wahabi
communities. Looming large in the horizon is the image of thousands of
young people inspired and amazed by the heroism of the Chechen mojaheds
and dreaming to bring the Chechen Islamic revival to Azerbaijan. The
authorities are sleeping and failing to see from their democratic camp
(where power is still in the hands of Aliyev’s authoritarian clones)
the dawn of new Islamic politicians…”
On May 9th Azerbaijan was admitted into the UN Human Rights Council
for three years, reports 525th Daily. Also admitted were Bangladesh,
China, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Russia, Cuba, Mexico, Canada, Germany
and Switzerland. Azerbaijan was nominated by the UN Eastern-European
Regional Group. Six countries were admitted from this group. Despite
application Armenia was denied membership.
The opposition Azadlyg bloc does not believe in Azerbaijan’s admission
into the UN Human Rights Council. “If confirmed, this fact will prove
that the UN is collapsing. The admission of Azerbaijan and other
totalitarian countries into the Council will become a step towards
the UN’s collapse,” says leader of the Party of the People’s Front
of Azerbaijan Ali Kerimli. (Azadlyg)
Azerbaijan-Armenia. Karabakh
“The present moment is crucial for the Karabakh peace process,” Russian
co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group Yuri Merzlyakov says in an interview
to Azeri Press. He says that the time is ripe for agreement. “We must
not miss such a crucial moment. We will hardly have a better one,”
says Merzlyakov. He does not specify what the MG’s new proposals are
about. He just says that there are many proposals and they concern
some details of the “Prague process.”
The key reason why the speaker of the Armenian parliament has broken
away from the government coalition is his party’s wish to run in the
parliamentary and presidential elections, the leader of the Party of
Democratic Reforms, MP Asim Mollazade says about the resignation of
Armenian Parliament Speaker Artur Bagdassaryan and the crisis in the
Armenian government. He says that what is going on in the Armenian
government is just preparations for parliamentary and presidential
elections. Mollazade can already see the forces who seek to run in the
elections, and even acting Armenian President Robert Kocharyan will
take part in the race. “The political parties are beginning to fight
for the presidential seat. One of the key reasons of Bagdassaryan’s
resignation is his wish to run in the elections as opposition,” says
Mollazade. He also notes that the Kocharyan government is greatly
responsible for no-progress in the Karabakh peace process.
Commenting on the present situation in Armenia, Azeri political expert
Rasim Musabekov says that every time the Armenians have to make some
unfavorable decision in the Karabakh peace process, they feign internal
tensions to gain time and to evade the decision. What is going on
in Armenia now may well be the case; but it may as well be not. “In
any case, it has already become a tradition that whenever the talks
get unfavorable for the Armenians, they allege internal problems,”
says Musabekov.
Commenting on the Armenian parliament speaker’ joining the
opposition, Musabekov says that Kocharyan can hardly be removed now
as all Armenia’s force structures are presently controlled by the
Kocharyan-Sarkisyan tandem (president and defense minister – REGNUM).
He does not expect serious chaos either. “This is a two-way process.
People are really sick with the present situation in Armenia and
the democratically elected authorities will be forced to search for
ways-out. One way-out is to solve problems with Azerbaijan,” says
Musabekov. He does not expect that the present tensions in Armenia
will result in any changes in the government. “Kocharyan will use
its levers to split the former speaker’s party and to preserve the
parliamentary majority, which proves that his regime is already
getting weak,” says Musabekov. (Trend)
Well-known political scientist Zardusht Alizade says that the Armenian
parliament speaker did not resign on his own will. “I suppose there
was some agreement. Perhaps, it was a response to Russia’s pressure,
particularly, to the rise in the Russian gas tariff. Armenia wants
to show that if Moscow continues its economic pressure, the number
of anti-Russian forces in Armenia may grow. This is a game,” says
Alizade. He does not think that the present political developments in
Armenia will have any influence on the Karabakh peace process. (Trend)
“Armenia is the US’ second ‘favorite’ after Israel. Since 1992 the
US has granted that country almost $1.6 bln,” reports Zerkalo daily.
“Now the White House is planning to give Armenia $7 mln more so
it can hold democratic parliamentary and presidential elections
in 2007-2008. Some sources says that the US has already agreed to
grant Armenia $235 mln from the Millennium Challenge fund. This
money will be given stage by stage within 5 years and will be spent
mostly on construction and restoration of rural roads and improvement
of irrigation. The program will cover almost 75% of countrymen. By
2010 their total monthly profit will amount to $36 mln and by 2015
to $113 mln.
John Evans (US Ambassador to Armenia – REGNUM) says that in order to
further enjoy financing Armenia should closely comply with the free
marker economy principles. Thus, if before the war of 1973 the US
provided Israel with $3 bln a year, this means that each citizen of
that country got $500. It would be interesting to know how much of
the US tax payers’ money goes into the pockets of people living in
Armenia, a country we are at war with.”
The daily says: “Balancing between Moscow and Washington, they in
Yerevan prefer making no much noise about the US assistance so as not
to annoy their mighty ally. They get no less from Russia too – in the
form of money transfers by Armenian labor migrants to their families.
Let alone the financial-economic concessions by the Russian
government. All this is the fruits of the “complimentary policy” of
the Kocharyan-Sargsyan tandem. Although it’s a big question if they
will enjoy these fruits for long. Presently, Armenia’s establishment
has split into pro-Western and pro-Russian camps. The question is who
will beat who. Both camps are strong. They in Moscow closely follow the
pro-Western tendencies in Armenia and react to them from time to time.
For example, when the Vardan Oskanyan (Armenian FM – REGNUM) spoke
about “the priority of Armenia’s relations with NATO, Armenian
President Robert Kocharyan said to Golos Armenii right away that
Yerevan will not join NATO but will abide by the CIS Collective
Security Treaty. Thus, until the present pro-Russian authorities are
changed, there will be no enlargement of relations with NATO.
Nevertheless, many experts believe that with the quickly changing
geo-political situation in the South Caucasus, the parliamentary
elections 2007 in Armenia may become the climax of the political
struggle between the pro-Western and pro-Russian trends…
The US’ approach towards Azerbaijan is a bit different. Here it has
different priorities: cooperation on security and against terrorism;
various energy projects; South-West energy corridor; Trans-Caspian gas
projects; democracy development. Obviously, Washington’s interests in
Azerbaijan are wider and more serious. All this was pointed out during
President Aliyev’s recent visit to Washington, when the White House
proclaimed Azerbaijan as its political, economic and even military
partner. Asked about Azerbaijan’s involvement in the anti-terror
operations in Iraq, Aliyev said that “Azerbaijan will preserve
and, if need be, enlarge its presence in Iraq until the operation
ends.” In this light, the Washington strategists cannot but see the
whole destructive and even provocative nature of Armenia’s foreign
policy, which is strongly restricting the White House’s activities
in the South Caucasus. So, by increasing their financial assistance
they may well be trying to win Armenia over from Moscow…
(Zerkalo)
Around Iran
“Quite against its will, Azerbaijan is being drawn into very thick
of the regional processes, which are not all very safe for it. At
the present stage, Baku has been given the role of mediator (mostly
veiled) between the US and would-be regional power Iran; but Tehran
has not forgiven Baku some of its steps and statements,” says Zerkalo.
Between the lines of its interview with Jalal Mohammadi, an Iranian
expert known for his close terms with the Iranian president, Zerkalo
sees quite interesting moments of Iran’s policy on Azerbaijan. The
daily notes that they in the West regard Mohammadi’s statements as
Tehran’s official stance.
Excerpts from Mohammadi’s interview to Zerkalo:
Zerkalo’s sources in Tbilisi confirm the media rumors that Georgia and
the US have reached some agreement on the use of Georgia’s Black Sea
waters in case of military aggression against Iran. In the US-Iranian
conflict Azerbaijan is assigned another role.
The leader of the Islamic revolution ayatollah Khomeini said in his
time that if the US decides to start a war against Iran, it will face
an all-round war. For me all-round war means that all sides supporting
the aggressor will get their deserts.
The well-known incident during the 2nd Congress of World Azeris has
been followed by some veiled tension between Baku and Tehran. Is
Tehran harboring a grudge against Baku?
A bit earlier, after the exchange of visits by our presidents,
there was a positive atmosphere between Tehran and Baku. But the
anti-Iranian speeches during the 2nd Congress of World Azeris have
shown how shaky Azerbaijan’s Iranian policy is and have given ground
for distrust. Iran recognizes Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity and
the fact of occupation of Nagorno Karabakh, while Baku allows some
suspicious people to speak against the territorial integrity of Iran.
Such statements allow Armenia and other unfriendly countries to
actively undermine our cooperation. Iran’s response to speeches
questioning its territorial integrity will become known later
You mean Israel. But the Jewish lobby supports Azerbaijan in vital
issues, particularly, it opposes the Armenian lobby.
A group of Azeri politicians think that by cooperating with the Jewish
lobby and Israel they can effective fight the Armenian lobby.
The illusions that the Nagorno Karabakh conflict can be resolved with
the help of the Jewish lobby have gone. No single inch of the occupied
land has been liberated as a result of the 15-year Baku-Jerusalem
cooperation. Obviously, those politicians are not aware of the
priorities of the world politics. The Western Empire has two wings:
the Armenian and the Jewish lobbies.
One of the reasons the US has given up the idea of “color revolution”
in Azerbaijan is its Iranian policy and the role it gives to Baku in
it. Before its serious dialogue with Iran, the White House is afraid
to shatter the stable political situation in neighboring Azerbaijan.
First, Baku has made appropriate conclusions from the Georgian and
Ukrainian events and has cleared its government from officials that
could support “the colored.” Besides, the Azeri opposition is weak and
not popular. Nobody in Azerbaijan supports it except the US Embassy
in Baku. However, the US is not as omnipotent as it seems: it has
failed to pave the way for “color revolution” in Azerbaijan. Of
course, the White House’s motive might also be that Azerbaijan is
Iran’s neighbor, that both are Shiah countries, that they have much
in common in culture and history.
The unresolved Nagorno Karabakh conflict is also an obstacle for
the White House. That’s probably why the West is in such a hurry to
resolve it?
The West is in a hurry because of the internal problems in Armenia
and Azerbaijan, Azerbaijan’s international relations and the
geo-political situation. These factors make it even harder to
resolve the conflict. One can’s liberate occupied territories at
the negotiating table. Of course, war claims lives and causes moral
and financial damages. You can’t help it, the world is unfair. Many
countries use the Azeri-Armenian conflict in their interests. They
try to keep up the status quo and are by no means interested in
its resolution. France, Russia and Turkey – all of them want the
conflict to go on. Turkey links the Armenian-Azeri conflict with
Armenian-Turkish relations and its internal problems. By brandishing
the fact of Nagorno Karabakh occupation, Ankara is just trying to
prove Armenia’s aggressive policy and to protect itself from the
psychological and political pressure of the Armenian lobby who demands
that it recognize the Armenian Genocide in the Ottoman Empire…
“Azerbaijan has not yet decided how to act in case of sanctions
against Iran,” says Echo. “What should Azerbaijan do if America and
most of the world’s civilized countries restrict their cooperation
with Iran?” Member of the commission on international issues of the
Azeri parliament Akram Aylisli says: “Azerbaijan will not accept such
sanctions inasmuch as it is too close to Iran. Azerbaijan must not
do that, but politics are politics, if America starts pressuring,
we may well acquiesce. Though, we may as well not allow America to
pressure us. I think Azerbaijan must do its best to stay neutral
in this issue. Neutrality is the only way-out for us. Iran has very
ancient statehood traditions. It may forgive America, who is stronger
and very far, but it will not forgive us, I am sure it won’t.”
“Azerbaijan understands that nuclear arms in the hands of Iran are
a serious threat for the region, but believes that this problem
should be solved by peaceful, political and diplomatic means,” says
MP Asim Mollazade. “In this situation our country should act like
all international organizations are acting. Azerbaijan is not a big
country or super-power, whose decisions may influence the situation.
It is for the UN Security Council to decide in political way – to
apply sanctions against Iran or not.”
Deyerler analytical portal’s public opinion poll among 100 public
and political figures of Azerbaijan has shown that most of them are
against Azerbaijan’s involvement in the anti-Iranian coalition. They
main question was: “Should Azerbaijan take part in the anti-Iranian
coalition in case of military actions?” The survey was held from May
1st to May 11th 2006. The respondents were to answer: “yes,” “no,”
“don’t know.” As a result, 27% said “yes,” 60% “no,” 3% “don’t know”
and 10% refused to answer at all.
Azerbaijan-US
“Rich in oil and gas, Azerbaijan has great potential for increased
energy exports. With Azerbaijan, we (the US – Trend) should continue
to assist in opening a southern corridor for oil and gas transit
to Europe, but also work with the Azerbaijan government to promote
transparency in the energy industry and development of alternatives
to oil and gas,” Trend reports Richard G. Lugar, chairman of Foreign
Relations Committee of US Senate as saying during the hearing of the
nomination of Anne Derse as US Ambassador to Azerbaijan.
“Last August, I traveled to Azerbaijan where I met with President
Aliyev. I discussed with him the opportunities and challenges
facing his country and urged him to hold free and fair parliamentary
elections”, – Lugar said. Lugar also recalled the visit of President
Ilham Aliyev to Washington. “We had a candid conversation about
democracy, the status of the Nagorno-Karabakh region, and Azerbaijan’s
relations with neighbors, including Russia and Iran. I emphasized
that U.S. relations with Azerbaijan have a promising future”, he said.
“Azerbaijan is located in a tough neighborhood. I commend its efforts
to interdict terrorists transiting its territory and to combat
indigenous terrorists and terrorist financing”. “After September 11,
2001, Azerbaijan quickly granted overflight rights and intelligence
support to the United States and offered the use of its bases for
Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. It was also among the
countries that supported Operation Iraqi Freedom. It was also among
the countries that supported Operation Iraqi Freedom”, Lugar said.