As Azerbaijan gears up for early presidential elections on February 7, an evident frostiness pervades its relations with the West, particularly with France and the European Union. Tensions escalated as the French Senate passed a resolution urging sanctions against Azerbaijan, prompting a swift response from Azerbaijan's Milli Majlis, which appealed to the government to take action. The recent espionage episode involving France further compounds the strained diplomatic atmosphere.
The implications of this strained relationship are underscored by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev's messages to EU countries, as revealed in interviews with local TV channels. Political commentator Rauf Mirkadirov sheds light on these developments in the "Difficult Question" program.
According to Mirkadirov, the cooling of relations can be attributed to Azerbaijan's rejection of peace talks on Western platforms, often accompanied by various pretexts or no pretext at all. Another factor contributing to the rift is the alarming crackdown on journalists within Azerbaijan, a move seen as an attempt to eliminate any semblance of political alternative in the upcoming elections, both in reality and within public consciousness.
Moreover, Mirkadirov posits that the intensified pursuit of journalists, the arrest of a French "spy," and the declaration of persona non grata for two French diplomats serve the purpose of deliberately provoking a cooling of relations with the West. This, he suggests, aligns with Azerbaijan's obligations to Russia, requiring a self-imposed detachment from Western alliances at this juncture. To execute this, Azerbaijan needed a pretext, hence the narrative emphasizing the West's supposed Armenian-centric bias and anti-Azerbaijani activities.
Mirkadirov contends that Azerbaijan sought to portray France's pro-Armenian stance as rooted in Islamophobia, attempting to mobilize the Islamic factor to forge a united front among the country's Muslim population. As pre-election dynamics unfold, the complex interplay between geopolitical commitments and diplomatic maneuvering continues to shape Azerbaijan's relations with the West.
Difficult question
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Bu gün ABŞ-də prezident seçkiləri keçirilir. Prezidentlik uğrunda hazırkı vitse-prezident Kamala Harris və keçmiş prezident Donald Tramp mübarizə aparır. İyulun 21-də Demokrat Partiyasının 2024-cü il ABŞ prezidentliyinə namizədi, hazırki prezident Co Bayden yarışdan geri çəkiləcəyini və vitse-prezident Kamala Harrisin namizədliyini dəstəkləyəcəyini açıqladı. Donald Tramp isə bu seçkidə respublikaçıları təmsil edir.
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According to the Electoral Code, the term of municipal authorities in Azerbaijan is five years and expires on December 23 of this year. Voting should be announced by the Central Election Commission (CEC) 60 days before the elections. However, although only 52 days remain until the election date, the CEC has not issued any statements.
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In recent days, several criminal cases have been initiated regarding some businesses engaged in foreign economic activities that have not returned funds in the appropriate currency to Azerbaijan. Reports indicate that several officials have faced criminal charges due to substantial evidence of agreements between domestic legal entities and foreign companies, with large sums of revenue generated from these activities not being returned to authorized bank accounts in Azerbaijan.
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After the parliamentary elections held in Georgia on October 26, President Salome Zourabichvili and opposition parties stated that the elections were rigged and did not recognize the results. The President called on the people to gather in front of parliament on October 28.
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