Pan Armenian Network, Armenia
Jan 23 2005
TO PLEASE THE FIANCE AT THE EXPENSE OF BRIDE
The essence of this Armenian saying is quite in line with the
behavior of Talish separatist leaders who strive to win the trust of
Azerbaijan by means of anti-Armenian propaganda.
On Friday, the underground Talish information agency “Talishpress”
announced that a number of Baku high-ranking officials sponsor shadow
trade between Azerbaijan and Armenia. According to the source, oil
supplied to Armenian market is provided by companies controlled by
Azeri Economic Development Minister Farkhad Aliev and the chairman of
State Committee on Securities Heidar Babayev. They also say that the
supplies of tea, vegetable oil and fish are supplied to Armenia under
the sponsorship of Kamalladin Heidarov, the chairman of the State
Customs Committee of Azerbaijan. As for the grain supply, it is
sponsored by the head of president’s administration Ramiz Mekhtiev.
The source doesn’t point to any facts that could prove those
conclusions. The attempt to discredit Azeri leaders by means of
exposing their links with Armenians is quite typical for the
ideologists of Talish separatism.
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Of course the information spread by the Talish
information agency should not be taken seriously. Shadow commercial
contacts between Armenia and Azerbaijan are not on a high level and
do not need influential patrons. Baku leaders on their turn do their
best to prevent any attempts of establishing contacts between the
businessmen of the two countries. In that case what is the purpose of
“Talishpress” agency’s announcement? Those who are aware of that
structure and know what its aims are know the answer to that
question. In reality, it is of course not an information agency. It
is the “propaganda department” of the underground Talish national
movement. The movement is mostly aimed at leading information war
against the government of Azerbaijan. It should be underlined that
the war is led against the government and not against the country.
The recent activities of Talish leaders give the impression that they
have given up the struggle for the national self-determination and
have focused their attention to the struggle for “a piece of power”
in Azerbaijan. Currently their aim is to appear in the role of
radical oppositionists of Ilham Aliev’s regime and to demonstrate
patriotism at the same time.
For achieving their goal, Talish ideologists often afford themselves
to carry on anti-Aliev and anti-Armenian propaganda simultaneously.
In order to win the sympathy of Azeris, they try to prove that it
were the Talish leaders who stood at the forefront of the fights
against Karabakh Armenians. One of the key points of Talish
propaganda is the necessity of Karabakh conflict’s military
resolution and the creation of a federal state in Azerbaijan.
According to the scenario Talishstan in that case will gain an
autonomous status. Thus, Talish leaders strive to achieve welfare at
the expense of Karabakh. The higher the status of Karabakh is, the
more they can snatch from the center. But to achieve that they need
to gain the control of Azerbaijan over Karabakh at any price. This is
the essence of the doubtful idea which is brightly seen in all the
recent interviews of the head of Talish movement Alikram Gumbatov.
The Lenkoran separatists have made a habit of making someone else do
the work. It is worth mentioning that the so called “Talish-Mughan
Republic” in the south-east of Azerbaijan was proclaimed just when
Karabakh Armenians passed to the offensive and directed to themselves
all the military and political resources of Azerbaijan. It is
interesting that now also the “governments in exile” try to gain
influence in Europe using the large-scale abilities of Armenian
lobby. The dethroned “president” of the self-proclaimed republic
Alikram Gumbatov who has spent 10 years in prison in Azerbaijan and
was considered a political prisoner by the west currently lives in
Holland. His attempts to establish contacts with the leadership of
the local Armenian community and Armenian social-political structures
in Europe were very unexpected. Last week he came to the presentation
of a documentary about Armenian genocide in Ottoman Turkey and even
made a short speech condemning the murderous deeds of the Young Turk
government. It is Gumbatov who led a detachment and went to Karabakh
to fight for the “territorial integrity of Azerbaijan”. It is
surprising that today he affords to give a helpful hand to Holland
Armenians.
There is an Armenian proverb. As translated to English, it sounds
approximately like this: “To please the fiancé at the expense of
bride”. What the Talish leaders are trying to do is quite alike the
proverb.