EUROPEAN UNION IS TREATING THE THREE TRANSCAUCASIAN COUNTRIES AS A SINGLE ENTITY
Saadat Kadyrova

Today.Az
cs/51282.html
April 2 2009
Azerbaijan

In another word in the long term they expect the Armenia and Azerbaijan
will find the solution: professor György Schöpflin

Professor György Schöpflin was born in Budapest in 1939 and lived
in the UK from 1950 to 2004.

He graduated M.A., LL.B. from the University of Glasgow (1962)
and pursued postgraduate studies at the College of Europe in Bruges
(1962-1963). He worked at the Royal Institute of International Affairs
(1963-1967) and the BBC (1967-1976) before taking up university
lecturing, at the school of Slavonic and East European Studies,
University of London (1976-2004), including latterly as Jean Monnet
Professor of Politics and Director of the Centre for the Study of
Nationalism. He is currently teaching in Forli, University Bologna,
Faculty of Political Sciences

Professor Schöpflin, the first question that I would like to ask
is the question which is discussed now, as the most important one-
the world financial crisis. What do you think about it and what is
you point who will faster overcome this period of world panic: big
states or some small with less economic ambitions?

Basically this problem which affects the whole the world, though in
different ways. But the solution can only come from a combination
of United States as the leader, the EU together with Japan (one of
the largest economies), China, to some extent with Russia, India and
Brazil. As to the actual dimension of the crisis, they are currently
trying to sort out the crisis of the finance industry, but the problem
is that it has rippled through into the real economy. This means
that we now see the very serious impact on all economic activity,
with rising unemployment and a downturn in capital flows, and while
we can’t yet see all the other outcomes, this year and next year will
be very unpleasant.

I know that you worked as a journalist and now you currently teaching
at the University of Bologna, in the faculty of Political Science,
moreover, as a member of the European Parliament you might have clearer
position about lobbying. I’m asking about it because in Azerbaijan
there is no transparent lobbying system; and in this case how do you
think if we have strong lobby in Europe, will Azerbaijan gain from it
and may be have more opportunities to inform State members of European
Union about Armenian aggression or about conflict in Nagorny Karabakh?

In general terms, in principle, lobbying can be effective. In other
words, if you have a lobby organization which puts your case to a group
or a body or an institution which doesn’t know anything about it, that
in a way functions as a mechanism for increased information flow. As
you may know, information that is provided doesn’t automatically
mean that information is accepted. So, an effective lobby is one
that doesn’t make a propaganda, but strong rational case for what
ever the argument is. So if it starts from this position, it seems
to me, that Azerbaijani government has done a certain amount to put
its case certainly to European Union. I do talk to the Ambassador
and some members of the embassy…

You mean Azerbaijani?

Yes, and only from these conversations I actually understood, for
example, that the extent of the territory is that it currently
under the Armenian occupation, it isn’t just Nagorny Karabakh
but seven other rayons. Basically, this is a kind of information
which doesn’t get through and, by the way, it should not just be
the EU that Azerbaijan should be lobbing, but should also provide
information to the world media – which is not happening. I don’t
know for example whether Western knowledge might help Azerbaijan
to overcome this situation. For the time being Azerbaijani case
is presented rather weakly. The other point here is that when an
embassy is lobbying, it won’t achieve so much beyond a certain point
and it becomes counter-productive, because people will say "well,
they only putting their own countries case and it is not the whole
picture". You really need an independent lobby which is ready to say:
"look here is Azerbaijani case here is this, with pluses, and minuses,
and this is why it is so important… whatever". You probably need
to concentrate not so much on Nagorny Karabakh at the moment, but on
Nabucco, notably that objections being raised by Ankara.

May I might ask you the subjective question and if you mind you
could not to answer it. How do you feel as the Member of the European
Parliament, is the Armenian lobby really so effective or it’s kind
of myth? Which lobby is representing better in Europe?

There is a very strong Armenian lobby with respect to Turkey but not
with respect to Azerbaijan. I have never encountered Armenian lobbying
with respect to Azerbaijan. Neither of them is very strong – neither
the Armenian nor the Azerbaijani is making a very strong case. The
European Union is treating the three Transcaucasian countries as
a single entity, in another word in the long term they expect the
Armenia and Azerbaijan will find the solution.

Some days ago, I saw the reporting in Euronews channel and some
Members of European Parliament in their short interviews raised the
question about economic and political interests of European Union
in Azerbaijan. What do you think about it and how could be Europe
interested in the region or may be vice versa?

The primary interest is not actually the only interest of this
time… it is that Azerbaijan is the potential energy supplier, in
the simplest terms. Both with respect to Azerbaijani resources and
also the transit country for Turkmenistan. That’s it.

And what about Azerbaijani interest in Europe?

It was my impression when I went to Baku two years ago, that there
is an active interest, especially among the young people that I met
there that in participating in Europe is their future and eventually,
who knows when, a hope of membership of the European Union. The
impression that I had is that the Azerbaijani people see themselves as
the European, a long way from the centre of the Europe, but still as
the part of Europe. My position is that I quite ready to accept that,
but Azerbaijan must make a much stronger case that it is, indeed, a
European country. Most people in the West have no idea that this is,
and, if nothing else, Azerbaijan should join the European Song Contest,
showing that they are the part of Europe (this has happened since
then). Many people don’t know where Azerbaijan is, they have never
heard about it. In this area, much more should be done in terms of
cultural diplomacy, sporting and other areas of this kind. This may be
difficult at the moment, I know, when people are concerned primarily
with economic problems, but there is long term strategy here, that
what Azerbaijan is and that is what it should do to present itself
as a European country.

The last question that I would like to ask you is about Nabucco. As
far as I know there is no confirmation for Nabucco from the side
of EU. What concrete steps will be made by EU Commission for
diversification the oil imports to Europe?

This is a political commitment, though no contracts have been
signed. My understanding is that the EU continues to be committed
to Nabucco; however there are also interests which don’t want it
particularly. Germany, I think, is very committed to North Stream
and sees the Nabucco as a competitor and that is a source of the
problems. It seems to me generally looking at Nabucco that while
there is a political commitment, there is as yet no timetable for
implementation.