American Azerbaijani or why America does not like dictators

The acting head of the U.S. Azeri Society (AZAD) Elmar Shakhtakhtinsky in an interview with the Washington correspondent of Turan commented the vision of the situation in Azerbaijan and the prospects for its democratization from the USA.

Elmar Shahtahtinsky belongs to the famous old Shakhtakhtinsky family, which over the past 170 years, presented Azerbaijan dozens of eminent personalities - statesmen of the period of the first democratic republic of 1918-1920, scientists, educators, diplomats and politicians, including members of the tsarist Duma and the parliament of modern Azerbaijan. Elmar came to America 18 years ago with the purpose of learning and getting education, and remained in this country.

“Freedom and liberal values ​​can come into our country from within it, as a result of the struggle of free thinking citizens,” said Shakhtakhtinsky.

Over the past three years, AZAD held in Washington and New York a series of protests to draw attention to issues of human rights in Azerbaijan. Such activities by Shakhtakhtinsky irritate the authorities of Azerbaijan. Last year he received a letter of condemnation from his relatives in Nakhchivan. Elmar has no doubt that the letter was initiated by the authorities.

  “It is well known that dictatorships threaten all those, who oppose them and combat for fundamental rights and freedoms,” said Shakhtakhtinsky. He did not agree with the opinion that Azerbaijani people are not ready for democracy.

  Of course, the Azerbaijanis do not see democracy as in Switzerland. However, the claim that the Azerbaijanis are worthy of the existing regime is an insult to the people. In his view, the main burden of the struggle for freedom in Azerbaijan lies on the shoulders of the Azerbaijani democratic forces. “The main objective of Azerbaijanis abroad is to support those who fight for democracy at home and to attract attention and support from the American press and the administration to Azerbaijan,” said Shakhtakhtinsky.

  In his view, in the Internet era it is not possible to hide what is happening inside the country and in particular the steady deterioration of human rights.

    Commenting on the accusations of the authorities that the Diaspora more raises democracy questions than the Karabakh conflict, Shakhtakhtinsky acknowledged that Karabakh is the main problem of Azerbaijan. “But for its solution a civilized state should be built in Azerbaijan, which would express the will of the people, and only then the efforts of the Diaspora can be effective. Mechanisms should be set up for proper formation of the foreign policy, the military, and the statehood. That's the way leading to the successful solution of the Karabakh problem,” said Shakhtakhtinsky.

     In his opinion, the ruling regime in Azerbaijan wants to use the Diaspora to divert attention from human rights abuses and tyranny of the regime.

    On the other hand, to gain international support in resolving the Karabakh conflict, Azerbaijan should appear as a civilized democratic state in the eyes of the world.

   Referring to the bilateral US-Azerbaijani relations, Shakhtakhtinsky said that the only way to ensure long-term strategic partnership goes through shared values.

  The Americans have long made clear that even "normal dictatorship" is dangerous and they cannot build reliable long-term relationship with it. The Americans saw this in 1979, when the Shah's regime fell in Iran.

   Commenting on the view that under the Obama administration the relationship between the U.S. and Azerbaijan has become cooler than under George Bush, Shakhtakhtinsky said that in the previous administration there were people with good relations with the Azerbaijani authorities, but now the relationship has become cool. There are two causes: the lack of figures that support the government of Azerbaijan in the Obama administration and the worsening attitude to dictatorial regimes.

   The actions of dictators become known through new information technologies and social networks, and they look uglier every year, and it is increasingly difficult to support them,” Shakhtakhtinsky. -25B-