PRESIDENTIAL ADMINISTRATION OF AZERBAIJAN: EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT'S RESOLUTION HAS FRIVOLOUS AND SLANDEROUS CHARACTER
APA
May 25 2012
Azerbaijan
Fuad Alasgarov: "Such resolutions could bring the issue of expedience
of cooperation with this organization to agenda and affect the adoption
of decision on associative membership"
Baku - APA. "The European Parliament's resolution on Azerbaijan adopted
on May 24 has frivolous and slanderous character. Most of the issues
reflected in this document were distorted", head of the department
of the Presidential Administration for work with law-enforcement
agencies Fuad Alasgarov said.
He said the date of adoption also showed that the resolution was
ordered by some forces. "Intensive anti-Azerbaijan campaign in European
mass media, manner of Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International
and our neighbors, as well as synchronized activity of Azerbaijan's
radical opposition and some NGO's toward this confirm it.
Quotation of "Azerbaijani human rights defenders' 10-month campaign
started before the Eurovision song contest" also confirms it".
Fuad Alasgarov said the resolution was adopted during 30-minute hasty
hearing and it contains many inaccurate and unverified clauses. "I
consider that the European Parliament takes wrong position. Azerbaijan
is located on southern border of Europe. It is alternative energy
source for Europe and one of the main components of Europe's
economic independence and security. Azerbaijan follows the course of
integration into Europe and fulfills its commitments. Unfortunately
contributing to parochial political interests they show biased
attitude to Azerbaijan. For example, member of the European People's
Party from Germany Bernd Posselt have same position with the German
mass media. Amnesty International's Deputy Director for Europe and
Central Asia John Dalhuisen, whose attitude toward Azerbaijan was
formed under the influence of his Armenian childhood friends, also
has too subjective ideas".
The resolution claims that May 15 rally was broken up by police and
calls for peaceful protest actions. "This clause doesn't reflect the
realities. First, there was no rally on May 15. Only 20-30 people
picketed on May 14 and those meetings were unauthorized. Radical
opposition represented in so-called Public Chamber refused to hold
rally in the places offered by Baku City's Executive Power. Though the
representatives of radical opposition held several authorized meetings
earlier. But they saw that those meetings didn't have resonance abroad
and chose the tactic of pickets to draw attention of the foreign
journalists arrived in our country to cover Eurovision song contest.
So they joined the anti-Azerbaijan campaign started by the pro-Armenian
forces".
Fuad Alasgarov said that holding of rallies on the eve of or during the
international events are restricted temporarily and even prohibited for
security: "Security forces cracked down the actions of anti-globalists
during NATO's Chicago Summit, some of the participants of the actions
were injured. 60 people were detained. The relevant security measures
are taken during the song contest in Azerbaijan. As I noted in my
previous interviews, holding of unauthorized rallies in such moment
creates tension. Regarding the use of force, police only performed
its duties for ensuring public order. No act of violence was committed
against the rally participants and no one of them was arrested. Police
stayed calm even in those cases when it was offended by some forces."
PA official said that the clause in the resolution on blackmail
of correspondent of Radio Liberty's Baku Bureau Khadija Ismayilova
is based on fictitious conclusions which don't have a legal base:
"Self-respecting reliable international organization must have a
reasonable position from the legal standpoint. The investigation of
Khadija Ismayilova's case has not been finished yet. In this case,
any unproved fictitious charges are nothing but preconceived position".
Fuad Alasgarov also commented on resolution's call to issue a visa for
Christoph Straesser to visit Azerbaijan for implementing its mandate:
"However, Azerbaijan invited the rapporteur to Azerbaijan late
March within its mandate for discussing the criteria for determining
"political prisoner" concept. But he refused to visit, and stayed
indifferent to his mandate. PACE Committee on Legal Affairs and Human
Rights adopted a decision on bipartition of rapporteur's report on
March 21. The first part will concern the determination of universal
criteria that will be implemented for the European countries and
the second part of the report will be prepared later. Evidently,
the European Parliament is unaware of these issues, including
PACE Committee's decision adopted three days ago. However, both
organizations are situated in neighboring buildings in Strasbourg.
PA official said that the resolution calls the government of Azerbaijan
to fulfill all decisions of the European Court: "Such abstract call can
be made to all member countries of the Council of Europe. Azerbaijan
takes all necessary measures on fulfillment of these decisions. Indeed
the number of unfulfilled decisions in many countries of Europe is
much more than Azerbaijan. The resolution read that the journalists
were arrested on political charges. On the one hand, the resolution
condemned the threats of radical Muslim organizations and the other
hand, demanded to release two persons, who spread these threats. These
clauses are completely contradictory and absurd."
Speaking about the impact of this resolution on the relations with
the European Parliament Fuad Alasgarov noted that Europe is in the
economic crisis, even faces threat of division: "This is a foolish
decision based on envy and emotions. It can lead the EU Neighborhood
and Eastern Partnership policy to crisis. Such resolutions could
bring the issue of expedience of cooperation with this organization to
agenda and affect the adoption of decision on associative membership".
PA official considers that people, who voted for the resolution, have
no strategic sense: "It will affect the ascendancy of the European
Parliament. The European Parliament, which "protects" democratic
values, must think about its ascendancy, carry out investigation on
the basis of objective sources, but not thoughts of some quasi human
right activists and non-objective reports. I would say that no one
and no international organization could affect the policy of the
President of Azerbaijan pursued for the welfare of the people."
APA
May 25 2012
Azerbaijan
Fuad Alasgarov: "Such resolutions could bring the issue of expedience
of cooperation with this organization to agenda and affect the adoption
of decision on associative membership"
Baku - APA. "The European Parliament's resolution on Azerbaijan adopted
on May 24 has frivolous and slanderous character. Most of the issues
reflected in this document were distorted", head of the department
of the Presidential Administration for work with law-enforcement
agencies Fuad Alasgarov said.
He said the date of adoption also showed that the resolution was
ordered by some forces. "Intensive anti-Azerbaijan campaign in European
mass media, manner of Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International
and our neighbors, as well as synchronized activity of Azerbaijan's
radical opposition and some NGO's toward this confirm it.
Quotation of "Azerbaijani human rights defenders' 10-month campaign
started before the Eurovision song contest" also confirms it".
Fuad Alasgarov said the resolution was adopted during 30-minute hasty
hearing and it contains many inaccurate and unverified clauses. "I
consider that the European Parliament takes wrong position. Azerbaijan
is located on southern border of Europe. It is alternative energy
source for Europe and one of the main components of Europe's
economic independence and security. Azerbaijan follows the course of
integration into Europe and fulfills its commitments. Unfortunately
contributing to parochial political interests they show biased
attitude to Azerbaijan. For example, member of the European People's
Party from Germany Bernd Posselt have same position with the German
mass media. Amnesty International's Deputy Director for Europe and
Central Asia John Dalhuisen, whose attitude toward Azerbaijan was
formed under the influence of his Armenian childhood friends, also
has too subjective ideas".
The resolution claims that May 15 rally was broken up by police and
calls for peaceful protest actions. "This clause doesn't reflect the
realities. First, there was no rally on May 15. Only 20-30 people
picketed on May 14 and those meetings were unauthorized. Radical
opposition represented in so-called Public Chamber refused to hold
rally in the places offered by Baku City's Executive Power. Though the
representatives of radical opposition held several authorized meetings
earlier. But they saw that those meetings didn't have resonance abroad
and chose the tactic of pickets to draw attention of the foreign
journalists arrived in our country to cover Eurovision song contest.
So they joined the anti-Azerbaijan campaign started by the pro-Armenian
forces".
Fuad Alasgarov said that holding of rallies on the eve of or during the
international events are restricted temporarily and even prohibited for
security: "Security forces cracked down the actions of anti-globalists
during NATO's Chicago Summit, some of the participants of the actions
were injured. 60 people were detained. The relevant security measures
are taken during the song contest in Azerbaijan. As I noted in my
previous interviews, holding of unauthorized rallies in such moment
creates tension. Regarding the use of force, police only performed
its duties for ensuring public order. No act of violence was committed
against the rally participants and no one of them was arrested. Police
stayed calm even in those cases when it was offended by some forces."
PA official said that the clause in the resolution on blackmail
of correspondent of Radio Liberty's Baku Bureau Khadija Ismayilova
is based on fictitious conclusions which don't have a legal base:
"Self-respecting reliable international organization must have a
reasonable position from the legal standpoint. The investigation of
Khadija Ismayilova's case has not been finished yet. In this case,
any unproved fictitious charges are nothing but preconceived position".
Fuad Alasgarov also commented on resolution's call to issue a visa for
Christoph Straesser to visit Azerbaijan for implementing its mandate:
"However, Azerbaijan invited the rapporteur to Azerbaijan late
March within its mandate for discussing the criteria for determining
"political prisoner" concept. But he refused to visit, and stayed
indifferent to his mandate. PACE Committee on Legal Affairs and Human
Rights adopted a decision on bipartition of rapporteur's report on
March 21. The first part will concern the determination of universal
criteria that will be implemented for the European countries and
the second part of the report will be prepared later. Evidently,
the European Parliament is unaware of these issues, including
PACE Committee's decision adopted three days ago. However, both
organizations are situated in neighboring buildings in Strasbourg.
PA official said that the resolution calls the government of Azerbaijan
to fulfill all decisions of the European Court: "Such abstract call can
be made to all member countries of the Council of Europe. Azerbaijan
takes all necessary measures on fulfillment of these decisions. Indeed
the number of unfulfilled decisions in many countries of Europe is
much more than Azerbaijan. The resolution read that the journalists
were arrested on political charges. On the one hand, the resolution
condemned the threats of radical Muslim organizations and the other
hand, demanded to release two persons, who spread these threats. These
clauses are completely contradictory and absurd."
Speaking about the impact of this resolution on the relations with
the European Parliament Fuad Alasgarov noted that Europe is in the
economic crisis, even faces threat of division: "This is a foolish
decision based on envy and emotions. It can lead the EU Neighborhood
and Eastern Partnership policy to crisis. Such resolutions could
bring the issue of expedience of cooperation with this organization to
agenda and affect the adoption of decision on associative membership".
PA official considers that people, who voted for the resolution, have
no strategic sense: "It will affect the ascendancy of the European
Parliament. The European Parliament, which "protects" democratic
values, must think about its ascendancy, carry out investigation on
the basis of objective sources, but not thoughts of some quasi human
right activists and non-objective reports. I would say that no one
and no international organization could affect the policy of the
President of Azerbaijan pursued for the welfare of the people."