This political system has no future - Arif Mammadov

In June 2015, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry forced Arif Mammadov to resign from his diplomatic post as a representative of the country in the Organization of Islamic Solidarity after he exposed the cry of the soul in Facebook, seeing video recordings of a burning, together with the residents, multi-story building in Baku:

"This tragedy is the pain and tragedy of every Azerbaijani. No nation will tolerate so much shame and injustice. Officials earn millions on the sufferings of our people, and if they do not fear the wrath of our people, let them fear the wrath of Allah! "

On May 19, 2015 in a residential multi-story building in the Binagadi district of Baku burned 15 people.

Five diplomats, who liked the post of Mammadov, were dismissed from the Foreign Ministry. This story once again disgraced Azerbaijan, and its initiators and organizers spread this shame around the world, making a little-known diplomat a popular emigre, a fighter for democracy in Azerbaijan.

Arif Mamedov lives with his family in Brussels under the protection of the Belgian government, and after the joint Georgian-Azerbaijani theft of journalist Afgan Mukhtarly from Tbilisi A. Mammadov was not recommended not to leave the Schengen area. The Belgian authorities offered Mammadov protection, but he refused.

A. Mammadov was appointed to the post of representative in the OIC in 2013. Previously, he worked as the ambassador of Azerbaijan in Brussels and the head of the permanent representation of Azerbaijan to the EU. A former diplomat and now a political emigrant answered the questions of Turan.

- Is it possible that an ordinary post on Facebook, which as you say could read 20 people, could have caused such a scandalous story with your recall and dismissals of other diplomats?

- My post in the FB was a cry of the soul, I could not help but speak out, seeing how the mothers scream, unable to save the children in the burning house. That post was not the reason, but the reason for the massacre of us. In the administration I was hunted for a long time. They suspected me of secretly leading a work against them. In fact, I tried to hold, how could, the level of relations with the CE and the EU. Turan's information reads: "According to information from foreign diplomatic sources, Mammadov, being the representative of Azerbaijan to the EU and the Council of Europe, supported solving problems with human rights and maintaining a liberal political course."

There are other versions. In the presidential administration there are forces dissatisfied with the Foreign Ministry and personally by the minister Elmar Mammadyarov, whom I consider a highly professional diplomat who has done a lot of useful work for the country. They needed a reason for a massive attack on the Foreign Ministry, and they found it. And the fate of several diplomats is not interesting to them.

For me the opinion of the people is more important. The Azerbaijani society received me as a high-ranking official, punished for trying to go beyond the rules of the state system and protect ordinary people.

- But was a financial audit carried out in the OIC mission, and the facts of appropriation of funds were found.

- This is another stupidity of the authorities. They really are afraid of something. They themselves sew the case with white thread. There was an audit on completion of my work in the Mission, and everything was clean. Then came another inspection commission and wrote funny things, that I allegedly did not pay for electricity. I lived in the building of the Mission and, of course, could not pay for the light. Communal expenses of the diplomatic mission are paid by the state. It's like asking a person to pay for light at work. In addition, even the ambassadors who live in the villas do not pay for utilities, since the premises are considered the official residence of the ambassador. Then they wrote that the financial audit revealed my disclosure of state secrets and other nonsense. Have you ever seen that accountants are engaged in discovering the facts of disclosure of state secrets? In a word - it is a complete nonsense.

- Five diplomats have liked your post, then they were forced to sign apologizing statements humiliating for them. How much is your political position supported by Azerbaijani state structures, officials?

- I am sure that in the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry, 99 percent of employees understand the perniciousness of the political course of the ruling regime, which does not have a good future. In other structures, the mood depends on the intellectual level of the staff. But 70-99 percent of diplomats working in them understand and predict the imminent collapse of the regime and its economy. If it is not, they would not rewrite property, shops and hotels to the names of wives and children, would not create business in other countries.

In an interview entitled "Target for the system" with the "Echo of the Caucasus" correspondent, Arif Mammadov spoke about the development program of Azerbaijan Vision-2025:

- While in Belgium, I will work on this program, because there are many responses to what I wrote. While I do not know what I will do as a politician, but this program is what I am thinking of doing now. It would be easier if 3-4 people helped me, because many people write on this topic, many give their suggestions, there are documents of political parties the programs of which I would like to use. Probably, there will be a non-governmental NGO created by Azerbaijanis living in Europe. We will deal with this issue - the problems of democracy in Azerbaijan. -0--