AZERBAIJAN: ATTENTION TURNS TO GOVERNMENT-NGO RELATIONSHIP FOLLOWING ALIYEV’S RETURN FROM WASHINGTON
Rovshan Ismayilov
EurasiaNet, NY
May 3 2006
During his recent visit to the United States, President Ilham Aliyev
said his government would reach out to the non-governmental groups in
an attempt to hasten Azerbaijan’s democratization pace. For that pledge
to be put into practice, both the government and NGOs will have to
make adjustments in what to date has been an adversarial relationship.
Azerbaijani leaders have tended to view NGO activities warily out
of apparent suspicion that civil society initiatives are a cover
for an attempt to topple the government. Such suspicions were on
display during the parliamentary election campaign last November,
when officials took measures to hinder NGO participation in the
electoral process. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive].
NGO representatives continue to complain about government
restrictions. In particular, the government is keeping many groups in
legal limbo by not taking action to officially register them. “Civil
society groups, especially youth groups experience problems with
registration,” said Farda Asadov, the executive director of the
Open Society Institute-Assistance Foundation Azerbaijan. [OSI-AF is
affiliated with the New York-based Open Society Institute, which also
operates EurasiaNet].
Azerbaijani officials deny that the government is hampering NGO
activity. Hadi Rajabli, an MP from the ruling Yeni Azerbaijan Party and
chairman of parliament’s Social Policy Committee, maintained that the
government had corrected problems in the NGO registration process. “We
do have more than 2,000 organizations and their influence [in the
policy-making process] is confirmed by laws,” Rajabli said. “Some
organizations prepare draft laws and we discuss them in committees. But
their opinion is not necessarily the absolute truth, and it is up to
us whether we pay attention or not.”
Rashid Hajily, director of the Baku-based Media Rights Institute
(MRI), strongly disputes Rajabli’s claim about improvements in the
registration process. “The same registration difficulties exist now
as before,” Hajily said. “Authorities are very selective in the issue
of the state registration of NGOs. For example, since November 2002
we [MRI] have applied for registration more than 10 times and have
failed each time. The Ministry of Justice did not provide us with
logical reasons of their refusal.”
The registration issue will be one of the main benchmarks for
measuring Aliyev’s effort to improve government-NGO ties. Some
NGO activists remain cautious about Aliyev’s commitment. Over the
past year, the “general state of democracy in Azerbaijan has taken
a turn for the worst,” argued Hajimurad Sadaddinov, the director
of the Azerbaijan Foundation for Development of Democracy and the
Protection of Human Rights. At a May 1 appearance in New York,
sponsored by the International League for Human Rights, Sadaddinov
claimed that government manipulation prevented him from winning
during last November’s parliamentary elections. [For background see
the Eurasia Insight archive]. However, he held out hope that, in the
aftermath of his Washington visit, Aliyev will take steps to improve
the country’s civil society image. Specifically, Sadaddinov said he
expected the government to release individuals classified by human
rights groups as political prisoners.
Meanwhile, Asadov and other NGO representatives say that
non-governmental organizations can do a few things to build trust
and widen the channels of communication with the government. A top
priority for NGOs should be improving the transparency of their
operations. Given a shortage of funding in the domestic arena,
many NGOs rely heavily on foreign grants and donations. At the same
time, financial disclosure has been problematic. According to Azay
Guliyev, an MP and head of the National NGO Forum, the country’s
roughly 2,000 registered NGOs received a collective total of $2.1
million in foreign grants and donations. But Guliyev believes the
official figure drastically underestimates the real amount going to
NGOs. Part of the problem is connected with the registration issue,
as unregistered NGOs cannot issue officially recognized accounting
reports. But other NGOs, for a variety of reasons, are not as open
as they could be on the use outside funding.
Asadov said NGOs should also be more assertive in offering solutions
to existing policy dilemmas, as well as engage in coalition-building
to enhance their ability to influence policy debates. Unity would both
raise organizations’ public profiles and make NGOs more difficult for
the government to ignore. NGOs “fail to establish a dialogue with
the government in most cases due to the authorities’ reluctance to
communicate,” Asadov said.
Despite the difficulties, Asadov said there have been a few instances
of successful governmental-NGO cooperation, including the participation
of an NGO coalition in the Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative
(EITI). “Now we have NGOs working together with the government in
the EITI commission, ensuring transparency of oil revenues,” Asadov
said. In general, he added, officials still seem reluctant to reach
out to NGO representatives.
A particular problem area concerns youth-oriented groups. Asadov said
many older, well-established NGO activists are reluctant to encourage
the development of a younger generation of civil society advocates.
“Due to limited funding, some organizations [NGOs] monopolize
particular spheres, preventing some youth groups from participating,”
Asadov said.
Government harassment has been a far larger obstacle to the development
of youth-oriented groups, NGO activists argue. Officials appear to
be especially suspicious of youth activists’ involvement in civil
society-related projects, in part due to the prominent roles played
by young people in Georgia’s Rose Revolution in 2003 and Ukraine’s
Orange Revolution in 2004. [For background see the Eurasia Insight
archive]. Underscoring that suspicion was the 2005 arrest of Ruslan
Bashirli, head of the Yeni Fikir youth group, on charges of conspiring
to carry out a coup attempt. Human Rights activists say Bashirli
is a political prisoner. [For background see the Eurasia Insight
archive]. Bashirli’s trial, which began in April, is closed to the
public. [For additional information see the Eurasia Insight archive].
Some youth initiatives have managed to overcome official suspicion.
For example, a Baku-based youth movement, Alumni Network, is pressing
ahead with a campaign, dubbed the Future Does Not Come on Its Own,
which strives to pressure the government into using profits from oil
and gas exports to promote education. In particular, the group wants
the government to fund 500 scholarships for deserving Azerbaijanis to
study at top-notch universities around the world. “We want Azerbaijan
to be a country of well-educated people, who will ensure the prosperity
[of the nation] when oil production declines,” said Emin Abdullayev,
an Alumni Network leader. The group has gone so far as to prepare a
draft presidential decree on the scholarship idea.
Another youth group, the American Alumni Association (AAA), has
gained prominence by promoting public debate on several issues,
including easing traffic congestion in Baku, education reform and
the allocation of oil and gas revenues for the public benefit. Ramin
Isayev, a Harvard University alumnus who currently works as a manager
of a foreign oil company in Baku, is working on a draft policy paper
concerning the utilization of energy revenue. The paper is based on
a March 18 public hearing, sponsored by the group.
“With the inflow of huge oil revenues, our country has an opportunity
to rapidly develop,” Isayev said. “However, if we do not manage oil
revenues and these opportunities in a wise manner, then we might miss
these opportunities and disappoint our current and future generations.”
“Since I am one of those few relatively more fortunate ones, who
made a successful journey from a refugee camp [He is refugee from
Armenia] to Harvard, I also feel great responsibility for making sure
that more and more people in our country are able to fulfill their
dreams – we may call this the American Dream, the Azerbaijani Dream
– the dream of a normal human being,” Isayev added. When finished,
the group hopes the policy paper can assist in a broad NGO push to
influence the government’s State Oil Fund strategy. [For background
see the Eurasia Insight archive].
Isayev, Abdullayev and other youth activists say they are driven
not by political concerns, but by a wish to ensure the long-term
prosperity of the nation. “I expect our policy paper be received
very enthusiastically by the government, since we make only economic
policy recommendations and we have no political agenda. This is a
wonderful opportunity for our creative government officials as well,
to build for the sake better future for all,” Isayev said.
Editor’s Note: Rovshan Ismayilov is a freelance journalist based in
Baku. Havilah Hoffman, a EurasiaNet editorial assistant in New York,
also contributed material to this report.

INTERGOVERNMENTAL COMMISSION ON ISSUES OF REMOVAL AND FUNERAL OF VICTIMS’ ASHES CREATED
Noyan Tapan
May 03 2006
YEREVAN, MAY 3, NOYAN TAPAN. On the occasion of the accident of the
aircraft implementing the Yerevan-Adler flight, RA President Robert
Kocharian convened a consultation today, with the participation of the
Prime Minister, the Ministers of Defence, Territorial Administration,
the Prosecutor General, Police, National Security Service, heads
of the Civil Aviation General Administration. According to the
information submitted to Noyan Tapan by the RA President’s Press
Service, the Chief of the Civil Aviation General Administration
presented to the RA President details connected with the aircraft
accident. By R.Kocharian’s instruction, Serge Sargsian, a Co-Chairman
of the Armenian-Russian Intergovernmental Commission, the Defence
Minister will leave for the Russian Federation to study reasons
and circumstances of the accident. It was decided to create an
intergovernmental commission headed by the Minister of Territorial
Administration which will be engaged in issues connected with removal
and funeral of vistims’ ashes. The RA Prosecutor General reported that
a criminal action was brought on the occasion of the case.

COMMITTEE ON ARMENIA NATIONAL SECURITY STRATEGY PROJECT DEVELOPMENT HAD A SESSION IN YEREVAN
Source: Novosti-Armenia, April 28, 2006
Agency WPS
DEFENSE and SECURITY (Russia)
May 3, 2006 Wednesday
The 4th session of Interagency committee on Armenia National Security
Strategy project development too place today in Yerevan. Armenia
Defense Department Press-secretary Colonel Seyran Shakhsuvaryan
stated that the session was conducted under the chairmanship of
Armenia President Serzh Sarkisyan. The members of the 4th session
chose from 250 offers and included in the agenda the ones concerning
the following topics: Armenia outer security strategy, All-Armenian
integration strategy. After exchanging opinions, amendments have been
made and the offers accepted. The Committee secretariat is responsible
for editing the new topics.

NATIONAL ASSEMBLY STANDS IN SILENCE TO RESPECT MEMORY OF VICTIMS OF PLANE ACCIDENT AND STOPS WORK
Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
May 03 2006
YEREVAN, MAY 3, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. At the May 3 plenary
sitting RA National Assembly stood in silence to respect the memory of
the victims of the plane accident that happened the same day. At the
suggestion of Ardarutiun (Justice) faction Secretary Viktor Dallakian,
it was decided to stop the sitting. Meeting the request of National
Unity faction Head Artashes Geghamian the parliament decided to
form a working group consisting of representatives of all groups and
factions for the purpose of rendering assistance to the families of the
victims. As Hakob Hakobian, member of the National Deputy MP group,
MP elected from Echmiadzin, declared, according to preliminary data,
18 of the victims were from his electoral district. The MP will
give 1000 dollars from his private means to the family of each of
the victims. As Galust Sahakian, Head of the RPA faction, informed
journalists, according to his data, part of the passengers was leaving
for Sochi for the purpose of taking part in the conference organized
on the initiative of the Prometevs-Chimprom company’s owner Senik
Gevorgian. According to preliminary data, former Head of the Armenian
Civil Aviation Department Vyacheslav Yaralov, former Head of the
National Security Service Husik Haroutiunian and the son of the former
Head of the same service Karlos Petrosian were among the victims.

WITHDRAWAL OF AKHALKALAKI BASE STARTED
Prime News Agency, Georgia
May 3 2006
Tbilisi. May 03 (Prime-News) – The first file of trucks left the
Russian military base in Akhalkalaki on the Tuesday-Wednesday
overnight.
As Prime-News was told by the representatives of the regional
administration of Samtskhe-Javakheti, the file will arrive in the
Tsalka railway station to be re-leaded. The first lot of military
equipment is to leave Georgia by May 15th.
The decision to traffic the equipment in nights was not accidental
and it aims at prevention of possible provocations. However the local
residents staged a protest rally in Akhalkalaki on Wednesday.
The local residents of Armenian origin are largely employed in the
military base and they say that planned withdrawal of base leaves
them without earnings.

MOURNING IS ANNOUNCED ON MAY 5 AND 6 IN ARTSAKH AS WELL
Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
May 03 2006
STEPANAKERT, MAY 3, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. NKR President
Arkadi Ghukasian signed a decree by which, on the occasion of the
aircraft accident taken place on May 3, May 5 and 6 are announced
mourning days in the republic. NKR ministries, departments, heads of
regional administrations, the Stepanakert Mayor are instructed to
bend the NKR state flag in the Republic of Nagorno Karabakh and in
NKR representations in foreign states during the mourning days.

PAPAL CONDOLENCES FOR BLACK SEA CRASH VICTIMS
Catholic World News
May 3 2006
May. 03 (CWNews.com) – Pope Benedict XVI (bio – news) has sent his
condolences, and assurance of his prayers, to the families of victims
of an airplane crash on the Black Sea.
All 113 people traveling aboard an Armenian plane were presumed dead
after a flight disappeared over the sea on a flight from Yerevan,
the Armenian capital, to the resort town of Sotchi.
Writing on behalf of the Pope, Cardinal Angelo Sodano (bio – news),
the Vatican Secretary of State, sent a message of sympathy by telegram
to Archbishop Claudio Gugerotti, the apostolic nuncio in Armenia. The
message commended the crash victims to “the mercy of the Lord, asking
Him to welcome them into his kingdom of peace.”

HOVHANNES HOVHANNISIAN: RUSSIAN NATION’S ATTITUDE TOWARDS ARMENIANS IS RESULT OF ARMENIAN-RUSSIAN RELATIONS
Noyan Tapan
May 03 2006
YEREVAN, MAY 3, NOYAN TAPAN. Separate cases must not be used for
damaging the Armenian-Russian friendship. Ruben Tovmasian, the First
Secretary of the Communist Party Central Committee of Armenia made such
a statement, touching upon at the May 2 meeting taken place at the
“Hayeli” club, the fact of the murder of the Armenian young man in
Moscow recently. He mentioned that his party condemns similar cases
but he considers inadmissible to raise an anti-Russian wave based on
them and to use them to find a black stain in the Armenian-Russian
relations. The speaker did not agree that similar actions taking
place in Russia are a result of the state policy and are led by the
authorities. At the same time, Tovmasian expressed an accusation in
the address of the authorities of Armenia who, according to him, has
not created such conditions in the country that citizens do not have
to emigrate. According to Hovhannes Hovhannisian, the Chairman of the
Liberal Progressive party of Armenia, the case of the Armenian young
man’s murder was not the first one, and similar cases will take place
in future as well. According to him, displays of chauvinism recently
become friquent are not responded neither by authorities of Russia nor
by public. “It’s a pity, the society accepts those rigours which are
implemented towards other nations, with secret pleasure,” the speaker
mentioned. According to him, groups of “shaved heads” acting in Russia
are not accidentally created: they have the authorities’ assistance
and will have some role. According to Hovhannisian, in Russia, which
gradually becomes from a democratic country an authirtarian one,
where the authorities are passed under control of the State Security
Committee, creation of an atmosphere of great-power chauvinism is
natural. Hovhannisian mentioned that similar actions towards Armenian
are a result of the Armenian-Russian interstate relations. According
to him, as much the authorities of Armenia make the Armenian-Russian
interstate relations vassal ones, as much the Armenian authorities
and the majority of the political elite prove their devotion to the
Russian authorities, as worse the Russian nation’s attitude towards
Armenian becomes.

COALITION PARTNERS COMMENT UPON NA SPEAKER’S STATEMENT
Noyan Tapan
May 03 2006
YEREVAN, MAY 3, NOYAN TAPAN. Being a member of the Council of Europe,
Armenia undertook obligations addressed to the European integration,
but speaking about observing the end of the Eurointegration already as
a membership to the NATO is out of the political agenda. Responding
journalists’ questions, Vahan Hovhannisian, the RA NA Deputy
Speaker, ARF Bureau political representative responded NA Speaker
Artur Baghdasarian’s speech made on May 2 at the Parliament in this
way. The latter, particularly, re-affirming his statement made in
foreign press, mentioned from the NA tribune, that he expressed the
position of the “Orinats Yerkir” (Country of Law) party headed by him
and his personal one, as they are for Eurointegration of Armenia and
deepening relations with the NATO and see future of the country in the
EU. The NA Speaker also expressed an opinion that there “are no great
differences” among his and other coalition forces’ positions in this
issue. In V.Hovhannisian’s opinion, before making public statements
about prospects of the foreign policy of Armenia, A.Baghdasarian must
first discuss it at the Security Council a member of which he is,
as just this body decides prospects of security of the country. As
for the final goal of Armenia concerning European integration, it has
not been worked out completely yet, but political forces have their
viewpoints concerning it. Galust Sahakian, the “RPA” faction head
advised journalists not to ascribe Artur Baghdasarian’s statements to
the coalition. According to him, it is not a state official viewpoint,
and the NA tribune must not be used for private statements of a party.

FOOD COMMODITY PRICES REMAIN UNCHANGED IN ARMENIA IN APRIL
Noyan Tapan
May 03 2006
YEREVAN, MAY 3, NOYAN TAPAN. Food commodity prices remained unchanged
in Armenia in April on March 2006. Out of 13 commodity groups observed,
a 0.1-26.7% price growth was registered in 8 groups, a 4.8-5.2 price
fall – in 2 groups, and prices remained unchanged in 3 commodity
groups. According to the RA National Statistical Service, a 26.7%
price growth was registered in fish product commodity group in April
on March, which is mainly the result of a 33.1% growth in the price
of fresh white fish. The upward tendency in the price of granulated
sugar continued in March and the overall price growth over the first
four months of 2006 made 26.5%. The price of granulated sugar grew
by 8% in April on March 2006. A 0.7% price growth was registered in
the meat commodity group in April on March 2006, mainly due to an
increase in the prices of mutton (9.3%) and beef (2.6%). The price
of pork increased by 0.4% in the indicated period. A 0.1-0.6% price
growth was registered in the following commodity groups: confectionery,
soft drinks, butter and vegetable oil in April on March 2006, while
the prices of bread products, milk products, coffee, tea, cocoa,
alcoholic drinks and cigarettes reamined at the previous month’s
level. The average price of eggs declined by 4.8% in the period under
review. The fall in the prices of potato and vegetables made 5.2%
in Armenia in April on March 2006. Over the indicated period, there
was a decline in the prices of cabbage (12.3%), cucumber (15.6%),
leek (29.1%), onion (4.7%) and potato (5.9%). At the same time, the
prices of tomato, carrot and beet grew by 5.1-44% in the country. A
0.4% price growth was registered in the fruit commodity group, which
was mostly conditioned by a 3.2% growth in the price of pomegranate,
as well as in the prices of such imported fruits as orange (3.9%),
tangerine (11.1%) and banana (2.0%).