‘THE NATIONAL SECURITY MINISTRY SHOULD NOT HAVE BEHAVED THIS WAY’

Azadliq
Aug 23 2009
Azerbaijan

Expert on security issues thinks safety precautions should have been
carried out without knowledge of those who voted for the Armenian
participants

Discussions are under way around questioning by the NSM of those
who voted for the Armenian entry in the Eurovision Song Contest
2009. This step of the NSM is considered both right and wrong. Each
side has own arguments. Those who support the questioning of those
who voted for the Armenian singers by the NSM think that identities of
those people should be established, their ties with foreign countries
should be investigated and in a nutshell, they should be kept under
control. Those who consider this step wrong believe that the NSM
inflicts a serious blow to Azerbaijan’s international image.

Azerbaijan may for this reason come under sanctions and be disqualified
for three years from participating in the contest. Therefore, there is
no point to exaggerate the fact of sending 43 votes to the Armenian
participants. The NSM officials have connected this step with safety
measures. They believe those who voted for the Armenian singers were
summoned for preventive conversations and to identify reasons behind
the move.

Yesterday we spoke to a security expert close to the government. The
expert did not approve of the government’s step. In his opinion, the
NSM did not act as a special service body: "I do not justify those
who voted for the Armenian representatives. They certainly are not
right. However, there is no point to exaggerate the matter to such an
extent. If the NSM wanted to keep them under control, it might have
done it without their knowledge. But agents of the NSM resorted to
a police method. And suppose that those who voted for the Armenian
singers have a kind of relation to the enemy. Given this, the special
services should have taken secret control of them. If there emerged
definite cases, a plan to arrest them would be prepared. If you summon
someone to ask why he voted for the Armenian and has he any ties with
them, of course, he would not tell you everything he knew. By this way,
you cannot go to the bottom of the issue. In my view, this step of
the NSM is a result of the fact that not everyone is in place. This is
neither a safety precaution nor an example of love for the Fatherland."

The expert also drew attention to an interesting case: "Let us accept
that the call to the NSM of those who voted for the Armenian singers
is a safety precaution. Why then does the NSM not carry out a similar
safety precaution with regard to officials who are married to ethnic
Armenian women? It is an open secret that wives of several officials
are Armenians. In such a case, safety precautions in connection with
those officials should also be carried out from time to time. Visits
of those people abroad should be kept under control and their contacts
should be investigated. Why does the NSM not think of this? I want to
reiterate that I do not think that those who voted for the Armenian
singers made proper steps. Simply, I believe that the NSM should not
have behaved so rudely on this matter."