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Israelâ€™s ambassador to Azerbaijan: â€œI feel completely secure and safe in Azerbaijanâ€ â€“ INTERVIEW

Israelâ€™s ambassador to Azerbaijan: â€œI feel completely secure and safe in Azerbaijanâ€ â€“ <font color=red>INTERVIEW </font>

31 May 2011 09:41 (UTC +04:00)

Baku. Habil Suleymanzadeh - APA. APAâ€™s interview with Israelâ€™s ambassador to Azerbaijan Michael Lavon Lotem

- Mr. Ambassador, business delegation of Israel has visited Azerbaijan recently. Israel is country which made investment in communication sector of Azerbaijan as far back as in mid 90s. However, currently we canâ€™t say that Israel is a leading investor in this field. How do you think, what should be done in order to involve Israeli investments in Azerbaijan?

- Although Israel doesnâ€™t invest in the local market, Israeli companies are a considerable important supplier to the ICT market. Bearing Israel’s world leading roll in this, it comes as no surprise. Israeli companies are present here with Wimax technologies, satellite and internet technologies, communication security, content services and billing, as well as infrastructure. The last visit opened also opportunities for joint investments here and abroad.

- Israeli embassy in Azerbaijan has to temporarily suspend its activity for few times in recent few months. According to heard, this is because of security factors. You and the embassy, how do you feel in Azerbaijan in terms of ensuring of security?

- The short answer will be that I feel completely secure and safe. The local authorities invest meaningful resources to secure the interests of Azerbaijan and hence I feel secure. Still, threat to Israelis and Israeli officials is not a new thing and needless to remind the bombings of our embassy in Buenos Ayres, or murdering Israeli diplomats in other countries in previous years.

- Visit of Israeli communication minister was expected to Azerbaijan not long ago. However, his deputy came to Baku later. According to media the minister preferred not to come to Baku because of security factors. Is it true or false?

-I am sorry to see that some media houses choose to tell a story which has nothing to do with reality, even though they were informed that they care a baseless story. The postponement of the minister’s visit has got nothing to do with security issues.

-Mr. Ambassador, sometime ago some foreigners have been judged for intentions to blow up the Israeli embassy. What did you think upon hearing this news?

- As far as I heard, those "foreigners" were carrying Iranian and Lebanese passports and admitted being members of Hizballah, which is one of Iran’s international Terror groups, operating in the Middle East, but not only. As you may know, an independent Argentinian investigator has also found Iran to be behind the attack and the blowing of the Israeli embassy and the Jewish center in Buenos Ayres in the early 90’s, operations which were supported by Iranian diplomatic missions.

- These days Israeli government refused initiatives of some MPs about recognition of â€œArmenian genocide.â€ Is the refusal of legislative initiative a calculated step to the factor of Turkey, Azerbaijan or other?

- As people which suffered greatly throughout history, we believe in the separation of politics from historical research and study. Politicizing history harms both politics and history.

- Mr. Ambassador Iâ€™d like to direct the topic of our conversation from politics to culture. Sometime ago, Azerbaijan won Eurovision Song Contest 2011. Thus, next year this contest will take place in Baku. Meanwhile, there is information that because of certain religious holidays Israel may not come to Baku...

- I realize that the event may coincide with the Jewish religious holiday of Shavuot. We are still trying to find a solution to the situation. I hope that we shall be able to participate and also to win!

- Mr. Ambassador, these days Israeli PM B.Netanyahu state inadmissibility of suggestion of B.Obama about restoration of borders that existed in 1967. What is the understanding of 1967 borders for Israel and how does Israeli government see continuous peace in the Middle East?

-Please let me remind that president Obama was speaking of the 1967 border as a basis for negotiations adding the important condition of land swaps. By saying this his words are very near to what our PM said a few days later in Congress. Mr. Netanyahu spoke before the joint session of the house and was applauded numerous times for reiterating the fact that any peace agreement should guarantee the security of Israel. The 1967 borders can not be defended and put Israel in great risk. Please try to imagine a country which width is 15 km!!!! Can you imagine someone sensible offering Azerbaijan to have a rival, an ex enemy, 5 km from its capital? The view put forward by PM Netanyahu is clear: a two state solution, a Palestinian democratic state next to a Jewish secure state. This should be achieved at by direct negotiations. Only those with very short and selective memory will forget that twice in the last decade or so, we withdrew from territories, just to find thousands of missile falling on out civilian population. First in Lebanon and then in Gaza. No way we will repeat this. Our memory is not that short and our learning ability is not that bad.

- Mr. Ambassador, Israel is currently located around Arab countries where rapid political changes take place. How does Israel approach to ongoings in Arab countries? What is favorable for Israel, an authoritarian society but with possibility to come to common denominator or a society where free elections take place but islamists as in Palestine come to power?

- You posed a very good question. But there is no dilemma at all! We prefer to leave in a democratic middle east. A middle east where liberal trade and moderate politics lead. A region where we will be able to integrate and co exist. For some in the Arab or Muslim world this is the worst possible scenario because they can not accept a Jewish state. As the Hamas convent clearly states: there should be no Jewish state and all Jews should be killed. Article 11: â€œThe land of Palestine is an Islamic Waqf (Holy Possession) consecrated for future Moslem generations until Judgement Day. No one can renounce it or any part, or abandon it or any part of it.â€ Let there be no mistakes: elections is only one component in a democratic society. By itself it doesnâ€™t say much. We all know how non democratic, extremist forces can use such election and how they did so in the past, in different place. Liberal values, liberal thought, separation of authorities, acceptance of minorities, advanced gender policies, rule of civil law and many others are the indicators of a democracy. We should be looking way beyond elections.