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PROTECTION OF HUMAN RIGHTS IN AZERBAIJAN DISAPPOINTS WESTERN COUNTRIES
Vestnik Kavkaza, Russia
Nov 5 2014
5 November 2014 - 3:03pm
The European Parliament has passed a resolution accusing Baku of
putting pressure on non-governmental organizations and limiting the
right to freedom of speech. U.S. President Barack Obama spoke about
it a month ago, though Azerbaijan had passed a bill a year earlier
making the procedure for registering NGOs harder. Secretary General
of the Council of Europe Thornbjorn Jagland recently published an
article in the Guardian, linking the UK's plan to leave the European
Court of Human Rights over the arrest of Azerbaijani and international
NGOs in Baku.
Politologist Rasim Musabekov said that the criticism from the West was
not a serious attack. The recent resolution by the European Parliament
has not been the first one on Azerbaijan, he notes. Musabekov believes
that the document was pushed by a few dozen people, including members
of the Armenian lobby. The expert noted that there were hundreds
of such documents and they were usually left forgotten a week after
being passed.
Musabekov said that cooperation with the West should be assessed by
energy projects. He assumed that the rising criticism was a reaction
to the independent foreign policy of Azerbaijan. The analyst called
Azerbaijan a self-sufficient country and added that teaching it how
to implement its foreign policy was pointless.
Concerning the arrests of NGO members, Musabekov stated that
investigators had materials about the suspects' involvement in
terrorism and plans to organize terrorist attacks in Baku.
Asim Mollazadeh associates the criticism of Azerbaijan with the
upcoming 100th anniversary of the Armenian genocide in 1915. Rich and
politically-active Armenians, he says, are using the moment to add
pressure on Azerbaijan and Turkey. He reminded that U.S. Secretary of
State John Kerry was the author of resolution N907 against Azerbaijan
when he had been a senator for Massachusetts and closely connected
with the Armenian National Congress of the U.S.
The expert said it was down to the unwillingess of Armenia to settle
the Nagorno-Karabakh peacefully. In his words, it is an attempt to
draw attention away from its aggressive policy and cause tensions in
relations between Azerbaijan and the West. He reminded that Baku was
cooperating with Europe in fighting terrorism.
Concluding his evaluation, Mollazadeh said that neither Moscow nor
Washington, Brussels or Ankara had the role of an elder brother of
Azerbaijan. He emphasized that Azerbaijan needed partners, friends
and good neighbours and would not let anyone tell it how to carry
out its policy.
http://vestnikkavkaza.net/news/politics/61789.html
Vestnik Kavkaza, Russia
Nov 5 2014
5 November 2014 - 3:03pm
The European Parliament has passed a resolution accusing Baku of
putting pressure on non-governmental organizations and limiting the
right to freedom of speech. U.S. President Barack Obama spoke about
it a month ago, though Azerbaijan had passed a bill a year earlier
making the procedure for registering NGOs harder. Secretary General
of the Council of Europe Thornbjorn Jagland recently published an
article in the Guardian, linking the UK's plan to leave the European
Court of Human Rights over the arrest of Azerbaijani and international
NGOs in Baku.
Politologist Rasim Musabekov said that the criticism from the West was
not a serious attack. The recent resolution by the European Parliament
has not been the first one on Azerbaijan, he notes. Musabekov believes
that the document was pushed by a few dozen people, including members
of the Armenian lobby. The expert noted that there were hundreds
of such documents and they were usually left forgotten a week after
being passed.
Musabekov said that cooperation with the West should be assessed by
energy projects. He assumed that the rising criticism was a reaction
to the independent foreign policy of Azerbaijan. The analyst called
Azerbaijan a self-sufficient country and added that teaching it how
to implement its foreign policy was pointless.
Concerning the arrests of NGO members, Musabekov stated that
investigators had materials about the suspects' involvement in
terrorism and plans to organize terrorist attacks in Baku.
Asim Mollazadeh associates the criticism of Azerbaijan with the
upcoming 100th anniversary of the Armenian genocide in 1915. Rich and
politically-active Armenians, he says, are using the moment to add
pressure on Azerbaijan and Turkey. He reminded that U.S. Secretary of
State John Kerry was the author of resolution N907 against Azerbaijan
when he had been a senator for Massachusetts and closely connected
with the Armenian National Congress of the U.S.
The expert said it was down to the unwillingess of Armenia to settle
the Nagorno-Karabakh peacefully. In his words, it is an attempt to
draw attention away from its aggressive policy and cause tensions in
relations between Azerbaijan and the West. He reminded that Baku was
cooperating with Europe in fighting terrorism.
Concluding his evaluation, Mollazadeh said that neither Moscow nor
Washington, Brussels or Ankara had the role of an elder brother of
Azerbaijan. He emphasized that Azerbaijan needed partners, friends
and good neighbours and would not let anyone tell it how to carry
out its policy.
http://vestnikkavkaza.net/news/politics/61789.html