Hajibeyli: Azerbaijani authorities are destined to the pro-Western choice

Chairman of the Foreign Relations NCDF Gultekin Hajibeyli speak about prospects of  democratic reforms and relations with Western institutions in the interview to “Çətin sual” (Difficult  question.)

"Khadija Ismayil was a symbol of all political prisoners and her release is  a turning point. However, about a hundred political prisoners remain in prison, and even now continues to be politically motivated arrests. But I think with the release of Khadija to freedom, the situation  has changed," said Hajibeyli.

Commenting on the attempts to put the blame for the arrests of prominent journalists and activists on the leadership of the former Ministry of National Security, Hajibeyli said that Eldar Mahmudov could play a special role in the implementation of these arrests, but a sanction repression gave the supreme power. But now, after the exposure of criminal groups in the MNS,  it is very  to blame  Eldar Mahmudov for everything.

The regime wants to present the release of  famous political prisoners as the manifestation of "humanism of power." But  without the persistence of international pressure, these people would stay in  prison for a long time.

All public administration is built on maintaining the fear in society. To show that the power  is strong, repression of political arrests so far will continue.

However, it is obvious that the regime’s attempts to resist Western demands to respect human rights  are coming  to the end. This is especially noticeable on the background of economic difficulties.

The reason for the wave of arrests of civil society activists, started in 2013, they  were arrested due to the  will of the regime to extend its power.  Arrests began in February 2013 with the prosecution of Ilgar Mamedov and Tofig Yagublu,   nd continued  with the arrest of NIDA activists.

By the repression, the authorities wanted to change the agenda of the political life of the country. In spring of 2013 was expected to adopt important steps to accelerate Azerbaijan's integration with the EU within the framework of "Eastern Partnership". By this time of 4 GUAM countries, three had said "yes" to the association agreement with the EU, but Azerbaijan refused.

Rapprochement with Europe presupposes institutional reforms, including the electoral system and democratic elections. In addition, in  the agenda was the question of accession of Azerbaijan to the WTO. Thus, the way was opened for signing a free trade agreement with the EU. However, all this threatened by corporate interests of the authorities, because it meant the elimination of the political and economic monopoly of the ruling elite.

Therefore, in the last three years we have not attended reforms and democratic elections on the agenda of Azerbaijan's relations with the EU and the US, but only the issue of release of political prisoners. Of course, this has allowed the authorities to temporarily withdraw from the situation, but it can not be always said Hajibeyli.

According to her, in the anti-western propaganda of the official Baku, the extrusion of the country's pro-Western NGOs played an important role and pro-Russian forces. That Russia was most interested in the deterioration of relations between Azerbaijan and the West.

Is it necessary to be so close to the West, which is unable to protect their partners, as it was with Georgia in 2008 and  with the Karabakh conflict? Answering this question Hajibeyli said that since  the occupation of South Ossetia and Abkhazia  passed 8 years, and historically it is a very short period of time.

On the other hand, on the rest of Georgia over this period  have been realized great achievements in the development of the Georgian state.

Georgia has become very meaningful to take a qualitatively new phase in a reliable partner of the West and Tbilisi's relations with NATO and the EU.

If you look at Azerbaijan, the territories of which has also been occupied, just like  Georgia, the Baku  has not found  such support to its territorial integrity  as Tbilisi. So, the whole world considers Abkhazia and South Ossetia as part of Georgia, and demands  unconditional cessation of the Russian occupation.

However, with regard to Karabakh there is another approach.

The reason is that partly Azerbaijan's relations with the West,  are bad, said Hajibeyli.

How far will the Baku go in  solving  the problem of political prisoners, and relations with the West?

Responding to a question Hajibeyli said that the interests of the authorities responsible policy balance between the West and Russia. However, the possibilities for this have already been exhausted.

The problems  Azerbaijan faced, geopolitical processes in the region, the confrontation between the West and Russia, NATO's eastward expansion and the weakening of Russia, Azerbaijan has put a clear choice.

The economic crisis forced Azerbaijan to take loans from Western

Financial institutions that require institutional reforms, the promotion of free enterprise, increased transparency, reforming the judicial system, the real fight against corruption.

"All these conditions give the Azerbaijani authorities a clear choice. I believe resistance can not last long. Maybe by the fall of the political elite will make a decision on deepening relations with the West. The symptoms of this are already being felt. Suspension of relations with the EU are beginning to recover in recent years. Strategic partnership agreement is being prepared, but not associative," summed up Hajibeyli.-0-