Press Review 17/07/15

Dashing from one foreign policy to another is a bad sign, said in an interview with Turan the head of the National Council of Democratic Forces (NCDF) Jamil Hasanli, commenting on the statement of President Ilham Aliyev on the refusal of the course to European integration.

   "In his speech, there was a lot of emotion, inaccuracies and nervous attacks. Why did he take Europe as a target, though until recently the main target of criticism was the United States, which even the official press accused of an effort to turn Europe into a vassal," said Hasanli.

    This "hysteria" is associated with the collapse of the expected political dividends from the European Games. Silent boycott by the political elite of this event put Baku in a very unpleasant situation.

    The money spent on the Games made the nation poorer and turned against the people. Therefore, attacks on Europe are primarily related to the psychological shock of the authorities and at the government meeting Aliyev announced the rejection of European integration.

Does this mean that Azerbaijan can go to the Eurasian Union or the SCO?

In answering this question Hasanli said that on July 13 Aliyev announced the rejection of European integration, and on July 14 his wife reported Azerbaijan’s commitment to European values in Cannes.

Therefore, Aliyev’s speech was aimed to make the West in general and Europe in particular stop criticism for human rights violations.

However, this is unlikely to work. In general, the rejection of European integration itself is hardly possible, because it would disturb balance in foreign policy between the West and Russia. In addition, it can affect the stability of the regime.

  "Iran's energy output to the European market has put Azerbaijan and Russia in a difficult position. The Customs Union created by Russia is in crisis. Joining it does nothing and the collapse of this alliance is inevitable," said Hasanli.

 As for the SCO, the first step to get closer to Asia turned unsuccessful. For example, the USD 150 million invested by the Oil Fund in China turned impaired for 3 weeks as a result of the collapse of China's stock market.

  Wherever the Azerbaijani authorities throw themselves to "escape" from the West and democracy, they face failure.

  "In fact, there is nowhere to go, and therefore they should not indulge in anti-Western hysteria and panic," said Hasanli.

   What caused the personal criticism of Germany?

   On this question Hasanli said that Germany plays a leading role in Europe and it is one of the main critics of violations of democracy.

  At a joint press conference of Aliyev and Merkel in January, the German Chancellor recalled Azerbaijan is a member of the Council of Europe and it has to ensure human rights and the rule of law. Instead, Baku agreed to further suppression of critical voices, calling it a defense of its "independence." The authoritarian regime has created a syndrome "the state is me."

All this was clearly evident in Aliyev’s speech on July 13, where he called criticism of his government "anti-Azerbaijani policy."

"In fact, the German Bundestag in its resolution not only touched human rights, but also expressed support for the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, and even reflected the issue of 250 thousand refugees from Armenia forgotten by the authorities.

No other European country has such a complex approach to the issue," said Hasanli.

At the same time Aliyev always refers to the PACE resolutions, when its is good for him, and when something does not fit his expectations, he threatens to withdraw from the PACE, calling its decision "a scrap of paper."

Therefore, Aliyev's statements were intended for domestic consumption. The reason is the strengthening financial crisis in the country, failure to obtain the desired results from the European Games, tougher requirements of the West on democracy and so forth.

Therefore Aliyev wanted to show that his power is strong and that it will continue in the same spirit. In practice, this means a possible increase in the number of political prisoners and the falsification of the parliamentary elections, said Hasanli.

 What can we expect from Aliyev’s threats against public officials, who exaggerate prices and are involved in corruption and other illegal activities?

 Hasanli does not believe that these warnings will be effective. He recalled that 4 months ago Aliyev already spoke of inflating the prices of medicines, but nothing has changed.

 Hasanli does not believe in the implementation of presidential directives because the high prices of AZAL tickets, medicines, hotels and mobile communication are not a question of the state, but a question of the intra-clan business.

"Mr. Aliyev gave the most profitable areas of the country to his friends and relatives. The high prices are ordered by them," said Hasanli.

The authorities themselves have caused damage to the business atmosphere in the country and when many businessmen were detained by the police, many companies were forced to stop work, while extortion by tax officers has long become a legend. Even Aliyev admitted that the tax and law enforcement agencies and the local authorities levy illegal fees from businesses and provide protection to the “obedient” ones.

  With regard to bank loans, high interest rates put the population in a desperate state.

"At the parade dedicated to the European Games we witnessed how the Azerbaijani flags were thrown down. Owners of high moral values would never let that happen. Therefore, we should change not the political orientation, but the false values created on false patriotism," Hasanli summed up.  -06D-