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Azerbaijan - Italy. An Armenian mess?

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  • Azerbaijan - Italy. An Armenian mess?

    Azerbaijan - Italy. An Armenian mess?

    12:30 * 23.07.14

    By Formiche.net
    http://www.formiche.net/2014/07/22/mazzone/


    This will be a summer of passion for the Italian Government, abroad.
    The Presidency of the European Semester for Italy is on the one hand a
    way to prove to be a reliable partner, on the other a slippery road
    where you can fall easily, as proved by the recent story of the
    candidacy of Federica Mogherini as High Representative for Foreign
    Affairs of the European Union.

    For this reason, never as now, the government of Matteo Renzi is under
    the magnifying glass of the governments of the 28 and will prove to be
    coherent with commitments, both in Italy and abroad. Certainly,
    another till now hidden and very controversial situation does not
    help. It has the potential to explode suddenly at the expense of Italy
    and to damage it during the European Semester.

    The source of the scandal comes from Azerbaijan' steppes, a country
    known for two things: oil and dictatorship of Alyev, a dynasty of
    despots who disdain the observation of the most elementary basic
    rights, both civil and human, and that has the habit of putting in
    prison (if they are lucky) journalists and opponents.


    Italy has commercial ties with Azerbaijan, just like the rest of the
    European countries, being the Great Britain at the top of the list.
    This is because, in a two-tier world, human rights follow a parallel
    path compared to economic needs. In particular, the former Prime
    Minister Enrico Letta has formally committed to Baku for the
    construction of the mega TAP gas pipeline, which would carry gas from
    Baku to San Foca (Lecce), and then be sold throughout Europe. A huge
    project, which is colliding with the typical localism of a
    short-sighted policy and unable to come to terms with the future and -
    more importantly - unable to keep their commitments.


    President Ilham Aliyev has recently been to Italy, to talk about TAP
    and beyond. And here there is the case. Days before the visit of
    Aliyev a document, which - according to the experts would be
    euphemistic to define as imperfect - was negotiated by the two
    diplomacies, and in which it seems that Italy has forgotten the
    consolidated positions of the EU and the OSCE on the Azeri issue and
    on the Nagorno-Karabakh "frozen conflict".


    Somebody in the Italian Foreign Affairs Ministry has detected the
    Azeri trap and blocked the publication of the official text. The
    timing of the event is crucial. Aljiev arrives in Rome on July 14th
    and on July 16th in Brussels, Italy is playing the game for the
    appointment of Federica Mogherini as head of EU diplomacy. The French
    are co-chairs of the Minsk Group on Nagorno Karabakh, together with
    Americans and Russians, and they could have accused Renzi and his
    Minister of Foreign Affairs for a pro-Azerbaijani text on the frozen
    conflict. So, the Italian diplomacy duggests to Azerbaijan to work on
    a new text.


    But Aliyev is an old style satrap and does not care about commitments.
    He instructs his ambassador in Rome to publish a document called "
    Italy-Azerbaijan Joint declaration on strategic partnership", both on
    Facebook and on the official website of the Embassy of Azerbaijan in
    Italy. Meanwhile, the chair for Mogherini in Brussels is shivering and
    MFA officials understand that it is better not to create other
    disasters and begin to work on the text of the joint declaration with
    Baku.


    But the positions are ambiguous and slippery. The MFA's action against
    the Azerbaijani regime is just an unhearable stammering. In short, the
    government has not taken a clear position and in Baku they say what
    they want, selling the text as an official statement made by the
    Italian government. Moreover, the Azerbaijani regime's propaganda
    delivers a note to Interfax press agency which says that "Italy
    supports the solution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict within the
    framework of the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan."


    That is to say that "suddenly" Italy has changed its position in
    relation to the EU and the OSCE, and in relation to itself, given that
    our country is a member of the Minsk Group and has always taken a
    neutral stance on Nagorno Karabakh conflict. In short, it is a total
    lie, but what can we expect from one of the most long lasting regimes
    in the world?


    In view of this, it must be said that the government was distracted by
    other very sticky domestic and European issues. However, at this
    point, it would be necessary to clarify as soon as possible the issue

    http://www.tert.am/en/news/2014/07/23/azerbaijan-italy/

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