Azerbaijan: Following Georgia and Armenia, democracy is knocking at the door

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-took part in the meeting with George Kent. How do you rate this meeting? What is the impression of the meeting and of the visit as a whole? What was the main purpose of the visit of Mr. Kent?

- The interest of the countries interested in the protection and dissemination of human values to Azerbaijan ​​is positive. It is noteworthy that the United States is at the forefront in this matter. From this point of view, the visit of the newly appointed US Assistant Secretary of State for Europe and Asia, George Kent, seems logical. I think that the visit of Mr. Kent to the South Caucasus, along with an introductory nature, reflects the interests of the United States in this region. As for the impression, Kent, being in his post, is interested in developing relations between the United States and Azerbaijan, ensuring peace and security in the region, strengthening democratic values.

- What questions were discussed at the meeting where you were present? And what questions was Mr. Kent interested in more?

-At the meeting, we mainly discussed issues of fundamental freedoms in the country, freedom of speech and press, human rights and the situation of civil society. It was felt that the diplomat is well acquainted with the situation, and even was informed about the number of political prisoners.

- Along with issues of security, energy, the Karabakh conflict, Mr. Kent touched upon the issues of fundamental freedoms, especially media freedom, Radio Azadlig, the arrest of Afgan Mukhtarly. In your opinion, during this visit, which of the topics was in the first positions - freedom, security or energy?

-American diplomats, speaking in relation to Azerbaijan, call three areas of priority: security, energy and democracy. At a meeting with one American diplomat a few years ago, we jokingly suggested in this order to name the first democracy. Naturally, there is no special meaning in this, just the sound of the word democracy in the first rows may somehow act to eliminate problems in this direction. However, the truth is that the United States is very interested in protecting the security of the region. Mr. Kent hinted at this at a press conference. It is possible that the recent events in the region, including the revitalization of Russia and Iran, and the signing of the Convention on the Legal Status of the Caspian Sea were closely monitored by the United States. This includes the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan and the Nagorno-Karabakh problem. The United States is a supporter of peace in the region, therefore, they are interested in resolving the conflict. Ensuring energy security is also one of the main areas of the United States. And this is confirmed by the statement of Mr. Kent in connection with the South Gas Corridor. As for fundamental freedoms, recently the situation in this area has greatly deteriorated. American NGOs have been expelled from the country, the Baku office of Radio Azadlig has been closed, and falsified criminal cases have been initiated against independent NGOs. By the way, this criminal case has not yet been terminated, at any time the situation may change. In this case, the United States cannot be satisfied about the situation with democracy. And it was announced by Mr. Kent at a press conference in connection with the issue of Radio Azadlig. Expressing his attitude towards what happened to Afghan Mukhtarly, Kent hinted at the resolution of the issue of political prisoners.

- After the visit of Mr. Kent, the visit of the adviser to the President of the United States on national security issues, John Bolton, to Azerbaijan is expected. What do you think is the purpose of the intensity of these visits? That is, can we expect a warming in relations between the United States and Azerbaijan?

- It is worth noting that the US is interested in protecting security in the South Caucasus. I would not say that the intensity of visits can somehow affect the warming of relations; because even in the most critical periods of relations between the United States and Azerbaijan, American diplomats came to Azerbaijan. We have always witnessed that our region was in the zone of US interests. Visits may also be exploratory in nature of the new administration.

-Sometimes the Western diplomats are reproached not being sincere on the issue of democracy and human rights. Do you think it is worth waiting for something from the West in this matter?

"Taking into account that human values ​​are mainly supported by Western countries, their expectations from them are also high. In this regard, even the smallest manifestations of "coldness" bother us. However, I do not think that the strategic and national interests of states sometimes prevail over other interests. Therefore, I believe that we, as a society, should be consistent in our choice. We must understand why we want and defend democracy and human values. We cannot turn away from these values, even if for some reason the United States today is "not in the spirit", but "caviar diplomacy" "passes" in the Council of Europe. We must move steadily and consistently towards democratic governance. Naturally, on this path we need both support and help. However, if we do not want and demand, then no one will come instead of us and will not change anything.

- What determines the warming in relations between the USA-Azerbaijan, the West-Azerbaijan?

- According to my observations, Western countries are interested in strengthening Azerbaijan, ensuring security, building democratic governance in the country.

Such conclusions are given by the frequent visits of Western leaders to Azerbaijan, the completion of the EU Partnership Priorities document, as well as visits by American diplomats. Despite the fact that the document on the Strategic Partnership with the EU has not been signed yet, negotiations in this direction continue. On the other hand, a change of leadership in Armenia and their interest in democratic governance puts the Azerbaijani authorities in a hopeless situation. The authorities, who constantly made comparisons with Armenia, are now in a stalemate. If democratic reforms are carried out in Armenia and the country enters the circle of interests of the West (and such symptoms are already being felt), this does not promise us anything good. After democratic Georgia, we will be forced to envy democratic Armenia. I believe that the authorities should ensure free civil society in the country, freedom of speech and press, stop persecuting critics of the authorities, release political prisoners. If this happens, then we will be able to establish strong ties with Western countries that support democracy, including the United States.