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Crown Prince asked to drop Azerbaijan trip
May 27, 2011
by Nina Berglund
Several leading human rights organizations are unhappy that Norway's
Crown Prince Haakon plans to visit Azerbaijan early next month, part
of a Foreign Ministry-arranged trip to take part in a large oil and
gas conference. They're calling on him to cancel the trip, because of
corruption and human rights abuses in the country.
[Photo: Crown Prince Haakon (center) was just on another official trip
to open Statoil's operation of the Peregrino field off Brazil. Now
he's catching criticism to attend an oil conference in Azerbaijan that
also involves Oil Minister Ola Borten Moe (left) and Statoil chief
Helge Lund (right). PHOTO: Arne Reidar Mortensen/Statoil]
`We have politely asked that he not travel to Azerbaijan now,' Bjørn
Engesland of the Norwegian Helsinki Committee told Norwegian
Broadcasting (NRK) on Friday. Engesland and several of his fellow
human rights activists believe the trip `could be interpreted as
undeserved recognition of the regime that (Azerbaijan President) Ilham
Aliyev represents.'
Engesland told NRK that Azerbaijan's authorities are `corrupt' and
known for `skimming off oil profits' for their own benefit. Human
rights abuses are rampant, he said.
Both the Human Rights House Foundation and the Rafto Fundation, which
awards the prestigious Rafto Prize to champions of human rights every
year, have joined the Helsinki Committee in writing a letter to Crown
Prince Haakon in which they asked that he cancel his trip to the
conference that begins on June 6 in Azerbaijan's capital of Baku. They
contend Azerbaijan's regime is one of the most oppressive in the world
at present.
They have no objections to government politicians making the trip,
saying that the planned presence of Oil and Energy Minister Ola Borten
Moe and a state secretary in the foreign ministry, Espen Barth Eide,
are `a natural part of the foreign policy and economic commitment that
Norway's political leadership has.' Such visits can, they believe,
offer an opportunity to raise human rights issues with local
authorities and express Norwegian views.
Crown Prince Haakon is often called upon to "officially open" projects
and events, not least in the oil industry. PHOTO: Arne Reidar
Mortensen/Statoil
They object to the attendance of Crown Prince Haakon, however, because
they fear his presence will be `abused' by what they called `one of
Europe's last and most authoritarian'regimes. `The lack of freedom of
expression and absence of balanced debate in Azerbaijan' may allow
authorities there `to put forward their own version of Crown Prince
Haakon's reasons for coming to Baku,' Engesland said. The role of
Norway's royal family as a `non-political actor limits the Crown
Prince's opportunity to take part in the public exchange that could
clarify the framework' for his visit, he wrote in the letter.
In unusually strong criticism of the young royal's decision to plan
the trip, Engesland and his colleagues Maria Dahle of Human Rights
House Foundation and Therese Jebsen of the Rafto Foundation wrote that
`we see it as an unfortunate signal from the Crown Prince, who is one
of the founders of the UN Global Dignity Campaign, to provide
undeserved recognition to the regime of President Aliyev, which is the
way ... his visit to Baku is likely to be perceived.'
Recent pro-democracy movements have shown, according to Engesland,
that `old alliances with authoritative regimes soon can become a
burden, which does not serve the interests of the Royal Family in
Norway.'
Trip `thoroughly evaluated'
Eide of the Norwegian Foreign Ministry stressed that Crown Prince
Haakon's participation had been `thoroughly evaluated,' and that he
was traveling as the leader of Norway's delegation to the conference.
The goal, according to Eide, is to support Norwegian business
interests in Azerbaijan, where Norway's own oil and gas industry is
involved, not least state oil company Statoil. Eide claimed Crown
Prince Haakon, who just returned from opening a Statoil-operated oil
field off Brazil, would meet representatives of the `civil society'
and highlight the role civilian organizations can play in a land.
There was no immediate response to the human rights organizations'
request from the Royal Palace or Crown Prince Haakon himself.
Azerbaijan is also due to host next year's Eurovision Song Contest,
after winning it earlier this month. There was no word whether the
human rights organizations would also call on Norwegians to avoid
Eurovision as well.
Crown Prince asked to drop Azerbaijan trip
May 27, 2011
by Nina Berglund
Several leading human rights organizations are unhappy that Norway's
Crown Prince Haakon plans to visit Azerbaijan early next month, part
of a Foreign Ministry-arranged trip to take part in a large oil and
gas conference. They're calling on him to cancel the trip, because of
corruption and human rights abuses in the country.
[Photo: Crown Prince Haakon (center) was just on another official trip
to open Statoil's operation of the Peregrino field off Brazil. Now
he's catching criticism to attend an oil conference in Azerbaijan that
also involves Oil Minister Ola Borten Moe (left) and Statoil chief
Helge Lund (right). PHOTO: Arne Reidar Mortensen/Statoil]
`We have politely asked that he not travel to Azerbaijan now,' Bjørn
Engesland of the Norwegian Helsinki Committee told Norwegian
Broadcasting (NRK) on Friday. Engesland and several of his fellow
human rights activists believe the trip `could be interpreted as
undeserved recognition of the regime that (Azerbaijan President) Ilham
Aliyev represents.'
Engesland told NRK that Azerbaijan's authorities are `corrupt' and
known for `skimming off oil profits' for their own benefit. Human
rights abuses are rampant, he said.
Both the Human Rights House Foundation and the Rafto Fundation, which
awards the prestigious Rafto Prize to champions of human rights every
year, have joined the Helsinki Committee in writing a letter to Crown
Prince Haakon in which they asked that he cancel his trip to the
conference that begins on June 6 in Azerbaijan's capital of Baku. They
contend Azerbaijan's regime is one of the most oppressive in the world
at present.
They have no objections to government politicians making the trip,
saying that the planned presence of Oil and Energy Minister Ola Borten
Moe and a state secretary in the foreign ministry, Espen Barth Eide,
are `a natural part of the foreign policy and economic commitment that
Norway's political leadership has.' Such visits can, they believe,
offer an opportunity to raise human rights issues with local
authorities and express Norwegian views.
Crown Prince Haakon is often called upon to "officially open" projects
and events, not least in the oil industry. PHOTO: Arne Reidar
Mortensen/Statoil
They object to the attendance of Crown Prince Haakon, however, because
they fear his presence will be `abused' by what they called `one of
Europe's last and most authoritarian'regimes. `The lack of freedom of
expression and absence of balanced debate in Azerbaijan' may allow
authorities there `to put forward their own version of Crown Prince
Haakon's reasons for coming to Baku,' Engesland said. The role of
Norway's royal family as a `non-political actor limits the Crown
Prince's opportunity to take part in the public exchange that could
clarify the framework' for his visit, he wrote in the letter.
In unusually strong criticism of the young royal's decision to plan
the trip, Engesland and his colleagues Maria Dahle of Human Rights
House Foundation and Therese Jebsen of the Rafto Foundation wrote that
`we see it as an unfortunate signal from the Crown Prince, who is one
of the founders of the UN Global Dignity Campaign, to provide
undeserved recognition to the regime of President Aliyev, which is the
way ... his visit to Baku is likely to be perceived.'
Recent pro-democracy movements have shown, according to Engesland,
that `old alliances with authoritative regimes soon can become a
burden, which does not serve the interests of the Royal Family in
Norway.'
Trip `thoroughly evaluated'
Eide of the Norwegian Foreign Ministry stressed that Crown Prince
Haakon's participation had been `thoroughly evaluated,' and that he
was traveling as the leader of Norway's delegation to the conference.
The goal, according to Eide, is to support Norwegian business
interests in Azerbaijan, where Norway's own oil and gas industry is
involved, not least state oil company Statoil. Eide claimed Crown
Prince Haakon, who just returned from opening a Statoil-operated oil
field off Brazil, would meet representatives of the `civil society'
and highlight the role civilian organizations can play in a land.
There was no immediate response to the human rights organizations'
request from the Royal Palace or Crown Prince Haakon himself.
Azerbaijan is also due to host next year's Eurovision Song Contest,
after winning it earlier this month. There was no word whether the
human rights organizations would also call on Norwegians to avoid
Eurovision as well.