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AZERBAIJAN: ABUNDANCE OF OIL AND LACK OF FREEDOM - LE MONDE
news.am
May 26, 2012 | 04:53
Armenian News-NEWS.am presents a piece of Guillaume Perrier's article
published in Le Monde:
Azerbaijan, being a country of police dictatorship, is among the press
freedom predator countries. Currently seven reporters are in custody.
On March 4, 2011, several young activists tried to organize a
demonstration in the center of Baku supporting the democratic riots
in the Arab world but the police stopped the demonstration. Several
hundred people who participated in the demonstration were arrested.
The regime fears that such movements will spread throughout the
country.
All the major world powers wish to get the resources of Azerbaijan,
especially Europe, for which the opening of an energy corridor from
the Caspian to the Mediterranean allows to bypass Russia. This project
('Nabucco') is mainly dependent from the gas of Baku. Russia and the
United States also treat the Aliev clan carefully. NATO had planned
to install part of its missile defense shield in Azerbaijan, but then
changed its mind, when Russia opposed the idea.
France is not an exception. The conflict with Armenia which took over
30 thousand lives, continues to remain as a thorn in Aliev's leg. With
its energy revenues Azerbaijan played the card of military deterrence,
wasteful spending funds for the purchase of modern equipment. Baku
regularly threatens Yerevan to restart military operations if Armenia
refuses to leave the occupied territories. It is not a surprise that
Armenia boycotted the Eurovision. Today Azerbaijan's defense budget
equals to the state budget of Armenia.
news.am
May 26, 2012 | 04:53
Armenian News-NEWS.am presents a piece of Guillaume Perrier's article
published in Le Monde:
Azerbaijan, being a country of police dictatorship, is among the press
freedom predator countries. Currently seven reporters are in custody.
On March 4, 2011, several young activists tried to organize a
demonstration in the center of Baku supporting the democratic riots
in the Arab world but the police stopped the demonstration. Several
hundred people who participated in the demonstration were arrested.
The regime fears that such movements will spread throughout the
country.
All the major world powers wish to get the resources of Azerbaijan,
especially Europe, for which the opening of an energy corridor from
the Caspian to the Mediterranean allows to bypass Russia. This project
('Nabucco') is mainly dependent from the gas of Baku. Russia and the
United States also treat the Aliev clan carefully. NATO had planned
to install part of its missile defense shield in Azerbaijan, but then
changed its mind, when Russia opposed the idea.
France is not an exception. The conflict with Armenia which took over
30 thousand lives, continues to remain as a thorn in Aliev's leg. With
its energy revenues Azerbaijan played the card of military deterrence,
wasteful spending funds for the purchase of modern equipment. Baku
regularly threatens Yerevan to restart military operations if Armenia
refuses to leave the occupied territories. It is not a surprise that
Armenia boycotted the Eurovision. Today Azerbaijan's defense budget
equals to the state budget of Armenia.