The“louse effect” and the billionaire spirit

Riches do not consist in the possession of treasures, but in the use made of them.

Napoleon Bonaparte

I wrote a response to the claim, which can be considered a "louse effect", of Russian businessman of Armenian origin, Grant Agasyan. I tried to explain the main point of this response with a clear distinction between the economies of Azerbaijan and Armenia. But today I will try to look at the views of the Armenian billionaire in a different context. G. Agasyan writes: “We, Armenian entrepreneurs from different countries of the world, are ready to end this war once and for all, to make a deal. We are ready to evaluate this land and end the claims for it by purchasing it completely and permanently from our Azerbaijani colleagues. We, Armenian entrepreneurs, will collect these funds, purchase the land, and give it to the people living there.”

A louse is a creature that can jump very high above the heads in the world. Imagine that a man can jump 30-50 meters above himself. The fact that lice have such elasticity more than any other living thing can be compared to Agasyan's jumping above his head and talking large.

There are many experiences and examples of the purchase of land in the world. Greece has taken the initiative to sell its islands in recent years after a deep crisis over excessive foreign borrowing. There have been cases in the history of the purchase of land belonging to ethnic minorities within a state for money. There are also allegations that when the state of Israel was established in Palestine in 1948, rich Jews bought these lands for money. According to many claims, the Jews took possession of these lands by money, not by war.

What worries me is not the speech of an Armenian named G. Agasyan. Not everyone knows the boundaries of speech equally. However, what worries me is that Azerbaijani businessmen are not seen in public in the "food and work" issue. While one Armenian claims to buy land that does not belong to him, other Azerbaijani billionaires living in Russia do not take a similar initiative and say that “We, as the Union of Billionaires, are mobilizing our forces to liberate the lands occupied by Armenia. We are transferring money to the aid fund of our armed forces. We are sending money to the families of those wounded in the war. We will give houses, cars, etc. to those who are distinguished by their heroism in battles.”

It is not the natural resources of countries that make their economies strong, but their rich people. The richer the country, the stronger the production and exports of that country, the bigger the taxpayers. Wealth is not only in the currency reserves and gold reserves of the states but also in rich people. We must not forget this...

There are 1,800 people in the world who have billions of dollars in wealth. Only 6 of them were born in Azerbaijan. They have a total wealth of $ 25.6 billion. Among them are V. Alakbarov (12.5 billion), G. Insanov (4.4 billion), A. Aghalarov (1.8 billion), M. Masimoglu (1.5 billion), T. Ismayilov ( 1.5 billion). Interestingly, there is a man of Jewish origin (Z. Bensionovich) originally from the Guba district, whose fortune is $ 3.9 billion. He has only one photo taken a few years ago. No one on the street can recognize him. I want Azerbaijan to have a lot of rich people and be known not only by us but also by the whole world. This is also the promotion of Azerbaijan! If the rich people known by the world do not put their hands under the stone for this country, if they do not make touch their "tail" with saltwater, then his wealth will be as beneficial for an Azerbaijani as it is for an African.

A scientist should not be thrown on the battlefield without realizing his military inexperience. A woman should not be in a hurry to be captured in the war with a sense of patriotism. A scientist should be at the forefront of the information war with his pen and thinking. The emotional woman should prove her emotional enthusiasm by helping the soldiers in the rear front. This is the way to behave wisely and prudently. A billionaire should not fight for his land with arms. A rich person should fight in the war with his money. He should demonstrate generosity, open his pocket, and earn the name of philanthropist. He should prove how being rich is armed with indispensable values.

Azerbaijani millionaires and billionaires should not hold a "betting race" in the political arena like a whirlwind around presidents. They don't even have to make a name for themselves in the "hunting" championship of the most beautiful women. Instead of spending money generously on buildings for the "beauties" targeted by these skilled hunters, they should focus on activities that benefit the public more. Private life is their own business. A true billionaire must live the tradition of philanthropy in order to earn an honorable name as the guardian of the families of martyrs and the provider of their needs. They should write their names in history. They should not leave the “estafette” to carry this burden even for a moment.

After all, we had philanthropist grandfathers. We have had a rich generation living by spiritual criteria who have made philanthropy a tradition. It is true that just as the Soviet system deformed all our values, so it left this tradition unfinished. But the social stability of ordinary people continued. The aphorism "Holding one’s hand is inherited from Hz. Ali" did not leave us for a moment.

At the beginning of the 20^th century, in the small time of the ADR, our millionaire ancestors passed it on to us as a spiritual legacy. Haji Zeynalabdin Taghiyev has a tradition of supporting our republic. He was not just an oil magnate, a mill owner, a manufacturer, a large fisherman (he controlled the whole of the Kura River and the Caspian Sea coast), the owner of merchant and cargo ships. He was not only a millionaire but also a philanthropist. He was a Real State Counselor of the Russian Empire. Zeynalabdin Tagiyev was able to create a heritage of philanthropy.

The spirit of oil producer and philanthropist, Musa Naghiyev, is no stranger to us. We have serious examples of the immeasurable philanthropic activities of Aghabala Guliyev, known as the king of mills. Nabat Ashurbayova was an example of a woman. The woman, who owned an oil field, has left a long mark of charity, from spending large sums of money on the construction of the Shollar water pipeline to taking care of the poor and orphans at Sabunchu Hospital. Shamsi Asadullayev, Murtuza Mukhtarov, Teymur bey Ashurbayov, and others...

Today's rich Azerbaijanis - Araz Aghalarov, Vahid Alakbarov, Telman Ismayilov, Fuzuli Mammadov (Frenk), and others... If you think that the "Karabakhname" you read in restaurants has anything to do with patriotism, you are wrong. Now is the time to be seen in public and prove your wealth. Now you will never be able to prove how connected and close you are to this country.

After the liberation of the lands, even foreign investors who see Karabakh on the map will be interested in investing in those areas. Investors are not "scared birds" in areas where favorable economic conditions are announced. On the contrary, they are more state-guaranteed. Have you already expressed a desire to invest in those areas, even after the liberation of the lands? Do you wait for talking about this issue after the fate of Karabakh is complete?

There will be many who wave the tricolor flag after the war but be one of those who can help raise the flag now!

Let's not forget: Beautiful hands are "hands" placed under a heavy stone called "Karabakh"...