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Ali Hasanov: â€œSome of Azerbaijani oppositionists choose the way of betrayal of the state and nationâ€ - INTERVIEW

Ali Hasanov: â€œSome of Azerbaijani oppositionists choose the way of betrayal of the state and nationâ€ - <font color=red>INTERVIEW</font>

18 November 2011 14:00 (UTC +04:00)

Baku. Parvin Abbasov â€“ APA. APAâ€™s interview with Ali Hasanov, Chief of the Socio-Political Department of the Presidential Administration of Azerbaijan

-Head of OSCE Office in Baku Koray Targay has recently said that Azerbaijani authorities and opposition do not show dialogue initiative. Is it true that there is no dialogue, dialogue initiative in the country?

-We have commented on the issue related to the dialogue several times and said that there is always a dialogue in the society. This dialogue is being held through various means. For example, opposition addresses the authorities, the authorities address the opposition, the parliamentarians from the ruling and opposition parties discuss issues at the meetings of the parliament, this in itself is a dialogue. We dialogue with the representatives of opposition, parties at the conferences, meetings. I can not imagine a different dialogue. For example, there was a war between Gaddafiâ€™s supporters and protesters in Libya. There was a call to stop the war and start a dialogue. The same can be said about the war between revolutionaries and the state army in Egypt. There were calls for dialogue. These calls were made to stop the armed conflict. If the question is this kind of a dialogue, we consider that there is no need for it in Azerbaijan, because there is civil solidarity, civil unity in Azerbaijan. People live in calm, comfortable atmosphere, are busy with their routine work. Both the authorities and opposition are busy with their work. During elections the authorities and opposition compete, those who get more votes, gain the governing mandates. These are normal processes. Putting forth demands for dialogue is simply an extra attempt to draw attention. Maybe, by this, the persons, who fail to have effective influence on the society, socio-political life of the state, want to demonstrate that they are working.

-Some newspapers have recently reported that the persons detained in the April 2 demonstration will be released soon. Is it true?

-The release of every imprisoned person is the biggest wish of the government, too. No government would like its society to have imprisoned persons, people to violate laws, public order, norms, impede the rest of others, injure others and to be punished. No government wants it, neither do we. We also wish these people to be released, to live as normal citizens. But there does not exist other model of rehabilitation for the persons, who violate public order and laws, resist to the police, insult the law-enforcement officers, throw stones at them, damage peopleâ€™s property, shops. We are establishing a law-governed state. We have learnt it from the world, from Europe. Like all over the world, the persons committing such actions are imprisoned. This is so in Europe, US and other places of the world. If somebody considers that it happens only in our country, he makes a big mistake.

-Some opposition parties and newspapers claim that the arrest of the founder and editor-in-chief of the Khural newspaper Evez Zeynalli was a political orderâ€¦

-I do not want to comment on it, because investigation is being carried out with regard to that person. Any word that I will say may be regarded by the opposite side as an influence, pressure on the court. Therefore, I want the court to consider the case fairly. But I want to say that these opposition parties, including opposition representatives, representatives of various newspapers used to sue both the Khural newspaper and the correspondents of other newspapers, whose rights they are defending now. They won the lawsuits, the decisions were not executed because of the disobedience to the court decisions. Now there are concrete complaints made by the parliamentarian and others. When the court passes a decision, I will express my opinion in the public discussion of the issue.

- Various statements have been made concerning the date of the groundbreaking ceremony of the building for journalists. But the foundation of the building has not been laid yet. What is the reason of the delay of the construction of the building for journalists?

-We will inaugurate the building for the journalists in August, 2013. 154-flat, 2-block building with garage and other provisions will be inaugurated after 21 months, the flats will only need furnishing.

-We would like to know your opinion on the Forum of Intellectuals and the dismissal of the head of the department of the Oil Academy, Professor Rafig Aliyevâ€¦

- I donâ€™t want to politicize the issue, but unfortunately there are some forces who attempt to do it. Rafig Aliyev was removed from the post of department chair before the meeting of â€œEldar Namazovâ€™s groupâ€, which consists of 16-17 persons and you call it as â€œforumâ€. But he stayed in the post of professorâ€¦The personnel change is the domestic problem of the university according to the education legislation. But politicizing this issue, some forces show that they want to create confrontation in the Azerbaijani society and to violate current stability in the society. Someone try to set the people against each other and to use such situation for political ambitions of someone. Eldar Namazov was an official long time and worked in the Presidential Administration. He considers the measures taken by the Presidential Administration and other government institutions for public administration as a guilt, shortcoming and humiliation, but Eldar Namazov himself took these measures at one time and rather harder. It is understandable that the person dismissed from the government office uses offensive words against the government now. The elections are coming up. Eldar Namazov stated that he would participate in the elections and all of his actions are rated to the participation in the elections as a candidate. He wants to gather people around him. Confronting these people with the government and society, he wants to be on political agenda. But not depending on the ways used by politicians, if he is not sincere in his political activity, if his activity doesnâ€™t coincide with the societyâ€™s desires, if the people donâ€™t support him and donâ€™t see him as a future leader, all of his activity will be like a soap bubble. Every scientist has certain activity opportunities, and every person has to leave his office after certain phase, this is a rule of life and society. If someone is against the rule of life and society, he can not be a long-term leader.

- How do you accept the pro-opposition newspapersâ€™ reaction to these events?

- Of course, there are some opposition parties or â€œleadersâ€ and some newspapers funded by them or from outside that try to focus attention only on bad things. They feel good if the government and people of Azerbaijan have some problems, but they feel bad when the government and people feel good. The achievements of Azerbaijani state make them anxious. As if they are enemy of this nation. Even they seek reasons to prevent Eurovision contest, international conferences and other events in Azerbaijan. They want Azerbaijan to be recognized not as the developed country. I donâ€™t know any other country which has such opposition. They choose the way of betrayal of the state and nation, but I donâ€™t mean all pro-opposition forces and newspapers. But some of them took this way. OSCE has organized an event in Georgia recently. I heard from our employee who participated in that event that how low level they showed there. We received reports from other countries that chairmen of some opposition parties promised to some international organizations that â€œhelp us to come to power and we will solve the Nagorno Karabakh conflict just as you like and will do what you tell us in the South Caucasusâ€. It is shameful to live in the same country with such people.

- How do you value current state of the negotiations over Nagorno Karabakh problem?

- The common state is not so favored. Azerbaijan is not satisfied with dynamism of the negotiations. Mr. President stated many times that this situation doesnâ€™t satisfy us. Only encouraging point is that the co-chairs expressed their position that the current status quo can not be continued. All of three co-chair countries, Russia, USA and France, including their presidents stated that the current status quo can not be continued, the Nagorno Karabakh problem must be solved. We continue the negotiations and suppose that the will of these three countries can have some pressure mechanisms that will put Armenia in constructive way. Many things depend on the will of these countries and their pressure on Armenia.