BAKU CONSIDERS EUROPE SOLD ITSELF TO ARMENIANS

PanARMENIAN.Net - Baku started preparing ground for complaining of Gross even before the PACE summer session began, when neither the report text, nor the coming speech content were known. June 10 PACE Azeri delegation head Ilham Aliyev ventured upon accusations of the rapporteur. The son of the Azeri president stated then that Andreas Gross took an unconcealed pro-Armenian position and was remarkable for rigidity in relation to Azerbaijan. Aliyev’s idea was seconded by his deputy on delegation, chairman of milli mejlis commission on foreign relations Samed Seidov. He stated that powerful Armenian lobby operated in the Council of Europe. According to the absurd version, added to the Azeri propaganda arsenal, exactly the ubiquitous Armenian lobbyists are guilty of the report on the situation with refugees including provisions containing harsh criticism of Azerbaijan, and Gross’s speech indicating absence of progress in the cause of fulfilling its obligations concerning political prisoners by official Baku. Under these conditions two Russian proverbs come to mind – about the mirror at which those possessing ugly mugs take offence, and about bad dancer, whom certain body parts impede…

What did the Azeris dislike in Gross’s report and speech? In particular, it is not to Ilham Aliyev’s liking that PACE is trying to reveal the true depiction of the problem of refugees. The report authors have pointed out that Azerbaijan manipulates figures of the number of refugees at its own discretion. The document notes that there are not one million refugees, as presented by official Baku, but twice less. Commenting on the remark of the European experts, Aliyev called the report tendentious and accused the Council of Europe of following a policy of double standards. The evaluation of the events taken place a month ago in Nardan village, where police shot a peaceful demonstration of citizens protesting against the center’s carelessness to their social needs, rouse further outrage of the Azeri legislators. “In the course of his slanderous speech Gross distorted not fully investigated facts and presented the action directed against breaking the social-political stability as evidence of restraining democracy,” – the PACE Azeri delegation members consider. The complaint addressed to the Council of Europe leadership says as if Andreas Gross “has taken extremely uncompromising position in relation to Azerbaijan and sees everything occurring in Azerbaijan only in the negative light.” The milli mejlis representatives explained their refusal to further cooperate with the rapporteur by that. The Baku envoys insist on leaving Gross out of the monitoring group on Azerbaijan.

Gross himself is deeply assured that the Azeri delegation initiative “will result in nothing.” In his words, “substitute is not possible.” And speaking of the causes of official Baku dissatisfaction with the rapporteur actions, Gross distinctly expressed his opinion on the topic already a month ago, “I speak aloud about what I see and some people do not like it.” This time he spoke harsher. “I am a democrat. If they want to get rid of democrats, they will have to leave the Council of Europe,” – the rapporteur stated. Gross assured the Azeri colleagues that in the future he would keep “saying what he has said so far.” The rapporteur is sure that the deputies, who signed the complaint, realize the fact of their accusations being groundless perfectly well, but resort to confrontation as Aliyev regime interests demand it. In Gross’s words, the story of the complaint demonstrates in the best way “how little is the dependence of the Azeri parliament on elections.” Another remark by Gross also shows the low level of democracy in Azerbaijan. In the interview to “Turan” agency he called the presidential decree on holding referendum on making amendments in the Constitution August 24 unconstitutional, and noted that Heydar Aliyev’s intention to run for president for the third time transgressed the bounds of the law. Commenting on that statement made by the rapporteur Heydar Aliyev stated he did not know and did not want to know any Gross.

Let us remind that Azeri leaders have complained of other PACE representatives earlier, too. Member of the commission on political prisoners in Azerbaijan George Klerfait and CE secretary general Walter Schwimmer have also been object of accusations. Now Andreas Gross is accused of not being impartial. There is no doubt that the Azeri parliamentarians’ plan will get crowned with nothing. But what would happen if, say, Gross himself refused from his authorities? Azeri right defender Saida Gojamanli gives a concrete answer to that question. “Irrespective of who is the rapporteur, the response to the situation in Azerbaijan will be the same.” “Any other PACE deputy will see in Azerbaijan the same, as Gross did,” – the right defender considers.