'Russia And Iran Benefit:' Former U.S. Ambassador Dissects 'Deteriorating' Azerbaijan-West Relations
'Russia And Iran Benefit:' Former U.S. Ambassador Dissects 'Deteriorating' Azerbaijan-West Relations
Richard Kauzlarich, the former U.S. ambassador to Azerbaijan, predicts relations between the West and Azerbaijan will deteriorate further this year "because of the political oppression connected with the snap elections and Baku’s sabotage of the U.S. and EU mediation efforts on Karabakh," as he put it, TURAN's Washington correspondent reports.
"Russia and Iran benefit from this deterioration... [President ilham] Aliyev believes he can ignore Washington's pressure for reforms and peace," Kauzlarich, who served as Bill Clinton's ambassador to Azerbaijan (1994–1997), told TURAN Wednesday.
Speaking on Karabakh, the former ambassador said he sees no movement toward a substantive peace process in 2024. "Nothing will happen before the Azerbaijan Presidential elections in February. Then Azerbaijan will be in the middle of the planning process for hosting COP29 in November. No diplomatic process could begin before the end of 2024," he said.
He went on to add, "The border issue distracts from the real reason: Azerbaijan does not want to negotiate a "durable and dignified" peace agreement with Armenia. Baku wants to impose its idea of peace."
As for the February snap elections, Kauzlarich said, they will "follow the pattern of previous elections."
"They will be neither free nor fair. Aliyev will win – that is preordained. I regret that they are an excuse for continued human rights violations," he concluded.
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- Politics
- 18 January 2024 11:12
Politics
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The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders (OPHRD), a joint program of the World Organization against Torture (OMCT) and the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), has called for the urgent release of activist Rufat Safarov from prison in Azerbaijan. It has launched a campaign in support of the Azerbaijani human rights defender. https://www.omct.org/en/resources/urgent-interventions/arbitrary-detention-and-judicial-harassment-against-rufat-safarov
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This year, the laureate of the annual Nargiz Prize, awarded for efforts in the fight for democracy, was Akif Gurbanov, chairman of the board of the Resplatforma (Platform of the III Republic) movement, who is under arrest.
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The U.S. will prohibit the issuing of visas for nearly a dozen more individuals responsible for undermining democracy in Georgia, bringing the total number to over 100, TURAN's Washington correspondent reports.
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The President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, has expressed condolences to the President of Germany, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, following the tragic incident in the city of Magdeburg. "We are deeply shocked by the news of the deaths and injuries resulting from the tragic incident that took place at the Christmas market in Magdeburg," the message reads.
1 comment
Акпер
2024-01-18
Это так, от ухудшения отношений между Азербайджаном и Западов выиграют Россия и Иран. Только президенту это неинтересно. Не приоритет вообще. Надо власть удержать любой ценой.