Xalq Qazeti, Azerbaijan

Dec 7 2017

 

 

 

by Ittifaq Mirzabayli

 

While the political influence and the economic rating of the young and independent Azerbaijani state grew internationally, the military power increases as well as our diplomatic positions strengthen; the pain and suffering of those who ignore the country's achievements also multiply.

 

Even in bed at night, our evil-doers, who are after ways of disrupting Azerbaijan's development, seek and find their associates in Armenia, among pro-Armenian politicians around the world and among the opposition forces in our country. Nevertheless, their most influential supporters in the search for the execution of these sanctimonious options are the authors of dual policies with hypocritical politicians in the world.

 

In particular, the hand of our ill-wishers, backed by these circles, has become so long that on 5 December the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe succeeded in making the European Court of Human Rights to take a decision that might be regarded as interference in the domestic affairs of Azerbaijan.

 

Thus, this organization has launched infringement proceedings against Azerbaijan due to the latter's refusal to ensure the unconditional release of ReAL movement leader [and one of Azerbaijan's leading opposition figures] Ilqar Mammadov.

 

ReAL – Europe's project

 

Before commenting on this issue, we should recall that Ilqar Mammadov, whom they have eagerly supported, has been a member of the executive board of the Soros Foundation since 2006. The activities of this foundation have been rightly banned in many European countries. They have made it clear that the Soros Foundation is engaged in devastation, confrontation, chaos and anarchy in different countries. On the contrary, although banned in Europe, they are demanding the release of the foundation's [Azerbaijani] representative, who has been arrested for a specific criminal offence in Azerbaijan. This is not only absurd but is also ridiculous.

 

Ilqar Mammadov, who was a deputy chairman of the Azerbaijani Milli Istiqlal Party at some point in time, could not find a place for himself within the party for some of his mysterious actions, but claimed to teach a lesson to all the country. Obviously, his foreign bosses gave him such a task.

 

If this were not the case, what happened then that the man who could not find a common language with members of the Azerbaijan Milli Istiqlal Party, who constitute one thousandth of the population of the country, began to give instructions and teach the whole nation? Those who have established the Republican Alternative Movement (ReAL), for sure, gave specific instructions to Ilqar Mammadov. Otherwise, all the anti-Azerbaijani forces worldwide, especially in Europe, would not have cherished the ReAL movement.

 

I remember well a joint press conference held on 21 June 2013 in Brussels between Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso. The first question put to the Azerbaijani president was about Ilqar Mammadov, who had been arrested for a specific offence. Moreover, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty correspondent Rikard Jozwiak tried to portray Ilqar Mammadov as a political opponent of the president.

 

However, the person called Ilqar Mammadov was a man, who displayed the level of upbringing unlike dozens of the opposition officials portrayed as opponents of the Azerbaijani government for over the last 20 years. He is neither a match for the president, nor for any of the men in the National Council, who are reprimanded on a daily basis by our society. Nevertheless… [ellipsis as published] if the reactionary forces want such a person arrested for a specific offence it may be granted a more pompous name.

 

No political prisoners in Azerbaijan

 

We should remember that our government officials explicitly expose these malicious plans both at home and internationally, telling our ill-wishers that there is no-one described as a political prisoner in Azerbaijan.

 

The views expressed by the president of Azerbaijan in response to the question asked in Brussels were the most consistent of such statements: "None of my political opponents are in jail. This is completely false information. If you carefully read the comments made by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe in January, which refused to accept the report on political prisoners in Azerbaijan, you understand that this topic has been closed. No-one has been arrested on political grounds in Azerbaijan. The right to freedom of assembly is completely guaranteed, and the same situation applies to the media freedom. We have free internet. The number of internet users in Azerbaijan is more than 70 per cent [of the population], there is no censorship and all the political parties operate freely and openly. Azerbaijan has been a member of the Council of Europe for more than 10 years. As Mr President [Barroso] said, next year we will chair this important organization [the Council of Europe]. We fully meet all our commitments to democratic development, human rights and freedoms. Thus, your assessment voiced in your question is either based on false information, or negative opinion, or the artificially created impression about Azerbaijan."

 

That is to say, the Azerbaijan president, standing side by side with the European Commission president, once again made the international community to understand that we know that libels and slanders about Azerbaijan globally have been fabricated by our ill-wishers. As for the introduction to the international community of the man called Ilqar Mammadov as an opponent of the president, or more specifically trying to sell him as such, we should say that this is an absolutely futile attempt.

 

Ill-wishers will lose

 

As we mentioned above, up to now none of the representatives of the opposition camp shined for bravery by comparing the Azerbaijani parliament to a zoo.

 

Perhaps they would want to make such a mistake. However, their upbringing did not let them to do so as everyone in the parliament – be they from the ruling or the opposition parties, independent or with party affiliation – they are all sons and daughters of the Azerbaijani people and citizens of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

 

Even the Armenian press, where the [Armenian] parliament came under shooting, no-one there dared to compare parliamentarians to wild animals or a beast. Comparing Azerbaijani intelligentsia representatives, politicians or women to a beast, a wild animal and a ragtag could only be done by someone like Ilqar Mammadov who hates his own people.

 

Let's turn to the fact to justify our thoughts. On 2 November 2012, the online version of [opposition] Azadliq newspaper carried Ilqar Mammadov's very valuable article, peculiar of him: "I am insulting the Azerbaijani parliament with this article, and I am right as the Azerbaijani parliament is a zoo where the vast majority of its members are swindlers. In the middle ages, each king had a zoo in their palaces; this is also of that kind. This zoo, which pretends to be the nation's mouthpiece, should be arrested as a result of revolutionary changes in Azerbaijan. The demands to dissolve it are meaningless – what is the need to replace one zoo with another one. A zoo is a zoo, that is."

 

And this is his upbringing. I wonder, whose moral is compatible to liken the Milli Maclis [parliament], made up of well-known intelligentsia representatives, female MPs, to a zoo, and the deputies to a beast? Now, political intriguers, unable to control themselves, are trying to call him a "political prisoner". Of course, his foreign sponsors are also familiar with his level of upbringing, nevertheless, they support him.

 

The reason for is that they want very much to discredit Azerbaijan's comprehensive development. In order to achieve that desire, it is necessary to play with a card called Ilqar Mammadov.

 

Let them play. The people of Azerbaijan have thwarted and exposed many games of those who want to inflict problems on the people in the last 25-26 years. It is as clear as daylight that our ill-wishers will also lose the game played with a card called Ilqar Mammadov.