how bizarre Azerbaijan Mafia-State Assumes Council of Europe Chairmanship, who is next North korea?

May 14, 2014 By administrator

Azerbaijan petro $$$$ is corrupting European leadership,

BERLIN (HRW)—Azerbaijan falls far short of Council of Europe membership commitments, even as it assumes chairmanship of the organization, international advocacy organization Human Rights Watch says in a new extensive report on Azerbaijan’s plethora of past and current human rights abuses.

Azerbaijan will assume the rotating chairmanship of the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers on May 14, 2014, following years of relentless crackdown on criticism.

“The Council of Europe is the region’s foremost human rights body, but Azerbaijan’s chairmanship comes at a time when the government is blatantly flouting the organization’s core standards,” said Giorgi Gogia, senior South Caucasus researcher at Human Rights Watch. “The Council of Europe’s leadership should make clear to Azerbaijan that it needs to free unjustly imprisoned government critics and undertake far-reaching rights reform.”

In the past two years, Azerbaijani authorities have brought or threatened unfounded criminal charges against at least 38 political activists, journalists, bloggers, and human rights defenders, most of whom are behind bars. In its September 2013 report “Tightening the Screws: Azerbaijan’s Crackdown on Civil Society and Dissent,” and in 35 follow-up interviews and other research since then, Human Rights Watch documented the authorities’ use of a range of criminal charges, including drug and weapons possession, incitement to violence, hooliganism, tax evasion, and even treason.

The circumstances of the criminal investigations and numerous violations in legal proceedings leave little doubt that the charges against these critics are bogus and intended to punish them for their independent activism and criticism of the authorities, Human Rights Watch said.

Among those imprisoned are eight youth political activists sentenced on May 6, 2014, to prison terms ranging from six to eight years; five young men whose trials are ongoing or pending who administered or blogged actively on Facebook pages that sharply criticized the government; Ilgar Mammadov, a prominent political analyst who intended to run for president in 2013 and Tofig Yagublu, deputy chair of the opposition political party Musavat, both of whom in March 2014 were sentenced to seven and five years, respectively, in prison; and Yadigar Sadigov,an adviser to Musavat,sentenced to six years in prison on January 14.

In April Rauf Mirgadirov, an outspoken reporter and commentator, was arrested in Baku’s international airport after he was unlawfully deported from Turkey and is facing treason charges. In December 2013, police arrested Anar Mammadli, chairman of Azerbaijan’s leading independent election monitoring group. He is on trial on trumped-up charges ranging from tax evasion to abuse of office.

Azerbaijani authorities severely limit freedom of assembly and use force to disperse any unsanctioned protests. In a recent example on May 6, 2014, police in Baku violently dispersed a peaceful crowd of about 200 who had gathered at the courthouse in support of the eight youth activists sentenced that day. At least 26 were arrested. Courts fined 12 of them and sentenced 5 to misdemeanor jail terms of 15 to 30 days. Among them was Kemale Benenyarli, whom police struck several times on the head as they questioned her. Benenyarli’s lawyer told Human Rights Watch that Benenyarli has several bruises on her head and has had headaches and vomiting as a result. The Interior Ministry has denied the allegations.

When Azerbaijan became a Council of Europe member in 2001, one of the commitments to which it agreed was the release of all political prisoners and an end to silencing its critics by prosecuting them on politically motivated charges. A January 2013 resolution adopted by the Council of Europe’s Parliamentary Assembly highlighted the ongoing problem of politically motivated prosecutions, concluding, “The combination of the restrictive implementation of freedoms with unfair trials and the undue influence of the executive results in the systemic detention of people who may be considered prisoners of conscience.”

Police clash with protesters after a court issued prison sentenes to youth activists opposing the government

The resolution urges Baku to review the cases of human rights defenders, activists, and journalists who have been imprisoned on criminal charges and whose trials did not meet international standards. It also urges the authorities to “use all available legal tools to release those prisoners whose detention gives rise to justified doubts and legitimate concerns.”

Securing Azerbaijan’s compliance with its Council of Europe commitments, including the release of those held on politically motivated charges, should be a top priority for the organization and its member states, Human Rights Watch said.

“The result of the government’s arrest campaign is an ever-shrinking space for freedom of expression, assembly, and association in Azerbaijan,” Gogia said. “Instead of addressing this problem in the lead-up to its Council of Europe chairmanship, the government has only stepped up the repression.”

Politically Motivated Arrests and Convictions in Azerbaijan
The September 2013 Human Rights Watch report “Tightening the Screws: Azerbaijan’s Crackdown on Civil Society and Dissent” documented the arrest and imprisonment of several high-ranking members of opposition political parties, government critics with large followings on social media, and people who had frequently been involved in political protests. In the eight months since the report was published, 17 people whose cases the report documented and who were awaiting trial have been convicted and sentenced to prison; 2 have been released; and 10 more have been arrested and are behind bars pending criminal investigations or trials.

On May 6, 2014, the Baku Grave Crimes Court sentenced eight political youth activists to prison terms ranging from six to eight years on a series of bogus charges related to an alleged plan to instigate violence at a March 2013 protest that the authorities violently dispersed before it began. Seven of them – Bakhtiyar Guliyev, Shahin Novruzlu, Mahammad Azizov, Rashad Hasanov, Uzeyir Mammadli, Rashadat Akhundov, and Zaur Gurbanli – are from the youth opposition movement NIDA (“exclamation mark” in Azeri), which was founded in 2010 and campaigns for democratic reforms and the rule of law in Azerbaijan. The eighth, Ilkin Rustemzadeh, is a member of another youth movement, Azad Genchlik (Free Youth).

Human Rights Watch has documented the Azerbaijani authorities’ pattern of pressing spurious drug possession charges to lock up their critics. In recent months, five more Facebook and other social media activists have been arrested or convicted on illegal drug possession charges. None had access to a lawyer of their choosing during their initial interrogations or remand hearings, while at least three complained of ill-treatment in police custody.

BBC: Rights concerns cast shadow on Azerbaijan’s political rise

May 8, 2014 By administrator

By Leyla Najafli
BBC Azeri

Nida is struggling to maintain campaigns with its activists in jail Continue reading the main story
Related Stories

The latest lengthy jail terms handed out to activists in Azerbaijan have raised already high concerns over human rights abuses in the country – just as it is due to take on a prestigious international role.

Eight young activists from the prominent Nida movement were convicted of organising mass unrest, and possession of illegal drugs and weapons. They had been on a 20-day hunger strike – but a Baku court sentenced them to between six and eight years in jail on Tuesday.

Amnesty International has called them “prisoners of conscience”, while Human Rights Watch called the judgment a “colossal injustice”.

But the authorities maintain that they were imprisoned for their criminal activity, dismissing any doubts about the courts’ impartiality.

‘Bitter irony’
The activists, aged between 18 and 30, had protested against non-combat soldier deaths in the army – some of the biggest demonstrations the country has seen in recent years.

The court verdict came days before the country is due to assume chairmanship of the cabinet of ministers at the Council of Europe (CoE) – the continent’s leading human rights watchdog.

In a recent open letter to members of the CoE’s parliamentary assembly (Pace), the European Stability Initiative, a European think-tank, wrote of the “bitter irony” of Azerbaijan taking over the chairmanship at a time when it has “never had more political prisoners”.

“There should not be any [political prisoners] in a Council of Europe member state. Pace… has so far turned its eyes away.”

Since the crisis in Ukraine, the search for alternative gas sources, which would reduce Europe’s dependence on Russia, has become a priority for Europe.

Azerbaijan provides this alternative, with new gas pipeline projects due to be finished in the coming years.

But Western diplomats continue to be accused of “selling out democracy for energy”.

Indeed, while Western diplomats and European officials have expressed “concern” and “disappointment” at the the verdicts against the activists, there is no sign of shock.

‘Hardly news’
The muted reaction is in stark contrast to five years ago, when bloggers Adnan Hajizada and Emin Milli – known as the “donkey bloggers” – were jailed for “hooliganism” charges.

There was uproar in the international community, and Hillary Clinton, then US secretary of state, raised the issue with Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev. The activists were released by presidential pardon after a year in prison.

But that was then.

“Alas, it’s hardly news any more that activists are handed long prison sentences in Azerbaijan,” said Giorgi Gogia, senior researcher at Human Rights Watch. “This has been a mainstay in the government’s two-year effort to silence its critics.”

With so many jailed activists and journalists – Azerbaijan’s Human Rights Club says there are 142 political prisoners – it appears that being active in civil society in Azerbaijan is more of a risk than ever in its 20 years of independence.

There have been no mass protests in the country since the disputed presidential elections in October, when Mr Aliyev claimed victory for a third term in office with more than 84% of the votes.

In comparison with previous post-election protests, the demonstrations were small and ineffective.

Many put this down partly to a crackdown which had jailed opposition activists in the run-up to the vote.

But, to many, the overall picture is clear: despite its best efforts, civil society in Azerbaijan is paralysed because of recent events; and gas and geopolitics are seen as too important for the West to put any real pressure on the authorities.

Azerbaijan supports peaceful deal over Karabakh – FM

May 8, 2014 By administrator

Commenting on the recent statement by the OSCE Minsk Group’s American co-chair, Azerbaijan’s foreign minister has said that his country supports a peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

“The status quo is unacceptable. It is unacceptable for the Armenians as well; the country is not developing, and it faces demographic challenges. We call on the Armenian side to solve this issue,” the APA News Agency quotes Elmar Mammadyarov as saying.

In a speech at the Carnegie Endowment on Wednesday, Ambassador James Warlick underlined six elements as key parts of a future peace deal.

The OSCE Minsk Group, composed of US, French and Russian co-chairs, has been spearheading the peace efforts over Karabakh since 1992.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus Republics broke out in 1988 when the Armenian majority of the then autonomous region declared its intention of breaking away from Azerbaijan. In a referendum held on December 10, 1991, the population voted overwhelmingly in favor of independence (99.89%). The move was followed by Azerbaijan’s large-scale military operations against Nagorno-Karabakh and seven neighboring regions. The Ceasefire Accord, which went into effect in May 1994, formally put an end to the armed attacks in the conflict zone.

James Warlick: 6 elements have to be part of peace agreement on Karabakh (Video)

May 8, 2014 By administrator

May 07, 2014 | 18:16

OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair James Warlick delivered a speech on Karabakh at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace on Wednesday, outlining U.S. position on the peace process.

The text of the speech is as follows:

“Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen:

Thank you for joining me this morning. I recognize a number of you who have served as counsel or sounding-board for me over the past eight months and I want to extend a special thanks to you.

Let me start by saying that I do not want to revisit the history of the conflict. Our goal should be to find a pragmatic way forward to bring about a lasting settlement.

Although I speak to you today as the U.S. co-chairman of the OSCE Minsk Group, I do not speak for the co-chairs. My message to you is a statement of official U.S. government policy that guides our engagement as we help the parties find peace.

And peace is within reach. The sides have come to a point where their positions on the way forward are not that far apart. They have almost reached agreement on several occasions – most recently in 2011. And when they inevitably returned to the negotiating table after each failed round, the building blocks of the next “big idea” were similar to the last time.

There is a body of principles, understandings, and documents already on the table that lay out a deal, and no one has suggested we abandon them. The challenge is to find a way to help the sides take that last, bold step forward to bridge their remaining differences and deliver the peace and stability that their populations deserve.
For two decades, however, peace has been elusive. All parties distrust each other and a generation of young people has grown up in Armenia and Azerbaijan with no first-hand experience of each other. As many have noted, older generations remember a time when Armenians and Azerbaijanis lived side-by-side and differences did not need to be resolved through the barrel of a gun.

As Churchill once reminded us, “you negotiate peace with your enemies, not with your friends.” The key to any successful negotiation is for all parties to conclude that they have won something, and in the case of the Armenians and Azerbaijanis there is no question that a deal will unlock a new era of prosperity across the region. The benefits of peace far outweigh the costs of continued stalemate, and avoid the catastrophic consequences of renewed hostilities.

Armenia would immediately benefit from open borders, greater security, and new opportunities to trade, travel, and engage with all its neighbors.

Azerbaijan would eliminate a key impediment to its growth as a player on the world stage, regional trade hub, and strong security partner, while giving hundreds of thousands of refugees and internally displaced persons a prospect for reconciliation and return.

The thousands of people living in Nagorno-Karabakh would be freed from the prison of isolation and dependence.
A peace agreement, properly designed and implemented, would also eliminate the tragic, steady stream of casualties – both military and civilian – along the border and the Line of Contact. Numbers are hard to pin down, but there have already been at least a dozen killed and even more injured on the front lines this year so far. This is unacceptable.
No less significant is the huge financial burden that military readiness and a growing arms race imposes on national budgets – a peace dividend that, used more productively, could itself be a game changer for both Armenia and Azerbaijan.

Next week will mark 20 years since a ceasefire agreement was signed. While we can take some pride in having avoided a return to outright war, we must also agree that the current state of affairs is unacceptable, and unsustainable.

Perpetual negotiations, periodic outbreaks of violence, the isolation of Armenia and the people living in Nagorno-Karabakh, frustration in Azerbaijan and anger among its populations of IDPs – this is not a recipe for peace or stability and it is certainly not the path to prosperity.

The people of the region deserve better.
—-
I began this job last September with a trip to the region, with visits to Baku and Yerevan to meet the two presidents and their foreign ministers. I also made a side trip to Nagorno-Karabakh to join Ambassador Andrzej Kasprzyk’s team for an OSCE monitoring mission along the Line of Contact on the road between Agdam and Gindarkh.
I joined the team on the west side of the Line of Contact, and got my first glimpse of the front lines. I saw the bleak reality faced by young soldiers on both sides of this Line, who live and work behind trenches and berms, with nothing but barbed wire and land mines keeping them apart.

The sides live under threat from sniper fire and landmines. They are concerned for the lives of their civilian populations and their access to farmland, cemeteries, and buildings that happen to fall “too close” to the Line of Contact or the international border between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

OSCE monitors have been working for two decades to keep an eye on this fragile peace, but have neither the mandate nor the resources to put a stop to the frequent casualties, or even to identify responsibility.
The sides themselves report thousands of ceasefire violations every year, but have been unable to reach agreement on any means of reducing that tally.

I have also traveled throughout Nagorno-Karabakh itself, where I have met with the de facto authorities to hear their views. I plan to do so again next week with the other co-chairs. There is no question that any enduring peace agreement must reflect the views of all affected parties if it is to succeed.

In the capitals, I have heard a more reassuring message. Both presidents want to make progress. Both agree that the series of documents negotiated over the past several years contains the outlines of a deal.

The co-chairs hosted the presidents in Vienna last November. This was their first meeting since January 2012 – and the first time since 2009 for them to meet one-on-one. We were encouraged by their conversation, and by their stated commitment to find a way forward. Since that time, we have met on ten separate occasions with one or both foreign ministers to keep the discussion alive.

It is clear, however, that only the presidents have the ability to conclude a deal with such transformative consequences for their countries. It is the presidents who must take the bold steps needed to make peace. The United States has pressed both leaders to meet again soon and take advantage of this window of opportunity when peace is possible.
—-
When I made that first trip to Baku and Yerevan last fall, I carried with me President Obama’s endorsement and reaffirmation of the U.S. commitment to working for peace as a Minsk Group co-chair and a close partner with both countries. The outlines of a compromise were already well established by that point, and my message was that the time had come for a renewed effort to bring peace to the region.

Let me walk you through the key elements of that “well-established” compromise, all of which have been in the public domain since appearing in joint statements by Presidents Obama, Medvedev, and Sarkozy in L’Aquila in 2009 andMuskoka in 2010. These principles and elements form the basis of U.S. policy toward the Minsk Group and the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

At the heart of a deal are the UN Charter and relevant documents and the core principles of the Helsinki Final Act. In particular, we focus on those principles and commitments that pertain to the non-use or threat of force, territorial integrity, and equal rights and self-determination of peoples.

Building on that foundation, there are six elements that will have to be part of any peace agreement if it is to endure. While the sequencing and details of these elements remains the subject of negotiations, they must be seen as an integrated whole. Any attempt to select some elements over others will make it impossible to achieve a balanced solution.

In no particular order, these elements are:

First, in light of Nagorno-Karabakh’s complex history, the sides should commit to determining its final legal status through a mutually agreed and legally binding expression of will in the future. This is not optional. Interim status will be temporary.

Second, the area within the boundaries of the former Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region that is not controlled by Baku should be granted an interim status that, at a minimum, provides guarantees for security and self-governance.

Third, the occupied territories surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh should be returned to Azerbaijani control. There can be no settlement without respect for Azerbaijan’s sovereignty, and the recognition that its sovereignty over these territories must be restored.

Fourth, there should be a corridor linking Armenia to Nagorno-Karabakh. It must be wide enough to provide secure passage, but it cannot encompass the whole of Lachin district.

Fifth, an enduring settlement will have to recognize the right of all IDPs and refugees to return to their former places of residence.

Sixth and finally, a settlement must include international security guarantees that would include a peacekeeping operation. There is no scenario in which peace can be assured without a well-designed peacekeeping operation that enjoys the confidence of all sides.
—-
The time has come for the sides to commit themselves to peace negotiations, building on the foundation of work done so far. It is not realistic to conclude that occasional meetings are sufficient by themselves to bring about a lasting peace.

When such negotiations commence, the parties should not only reconfirm their commitment to the ceasefire but also undertake much-needed and long-sought security confidence-building measures.

Once we get into such peace negotiations, there is a much broader range of practical issues that we can put on the table to benefit all sides. There are economic and commercial incentives to develop; energy, transportation, and communications links to rebuild; and travel and people-to-people programs that can begin to counter the dangerously one-sided narratives that currently prevail.

The co-chairs of the Minsk Group share a common interest in helping the sides reach a peaceful resolution. We intend to continue working through the Minsk Group as the primary channel for resolving this conflict. Together with France, the United States and Russia share a common commitment to peace and security in Nagorno-Karabakh. The United States stands ready to help in any way we can. I would also call on the diaspora communities in the United States and around the world to speak out for peace and to help bring an end to this conflict.

Of course, it is up to the governments of Armenia and Azerbaijan to take the first step. They should consider measures, even unilateral ones, that will demonstrate their stated commitment to making progress, reducing tensions, and improving the atmosphere for negotiations. They should reduce the hostile rhetoric, and prepare their populations for peace, not war.

Track II efforts to build people-to-people contacts between Azerbaijanis and Armenians are no less integral to a lasting settlement. Programs of this kind can help citizens of both countries prepare for peace and find reconciliation with the pain of the past. We expect the sides to support organizations and individuals which are committed to Track II and people-to-people programs.

I hope trhat you will work with us to make the case for a lasting peace. The co-chairs have the mandate to facilitate negotiations, but we should all be supporting engaged citizens, secular and religious leaders, NGOs, media outlets, and others working towad these goals. A lasting peace must be built not on a piece of paper, but on the trust, confidence, and participation of the people of both countries.

Let’s work together to build the demand for peace. Let’s demand the benefits that a peaceful settlement will bring to people across the region.

Thank you.”

Armenia is far ahead of Azerbaijan in press freedom according to Freedom House ratings

May 2, 2014 By administrator

The human rights organization Freedom House has published its annual report assessing the level of press freedom in 197 countries around the world in 2013.
This year Armenia received 62 points and took the 134th place in the rankings. Azerbaijan received 84 points, along with Vietnam, China and Laos and is on the 183rd place.

“In Azerbaijan the repressive media sphere has experienced a further decline due to the increased surveillance of Internet and telephone correspondence of the journalists and bloggers by the government; blocking site that hosts the image, which was associated with the leak of documents from the state security; and, according to the available information, state intervention in the satellite broadcasting radio “Free Europe”/radio “Liberty”. As a result, the country’s rating deteriorated from 82 to 84 points,” reads the statement.

Note that Georgia is on the 93rd place, Russia – 176th, Iran – 190th and Turkey – 134th.

In general, 63 (32%) countries were rated as free, 68 (35%) were partly free, and 66 (33%) were rated as non-free.

“We see a decline in media freedom globally which is driven by the support of the governments to control the information and to punish those who transmit it,” stated Karin Karlekar, the director of the project report.

Conditions in Azerbaijan ‘Worst Ever,’ Says Former Ambassador

April 29, 2014 By administrator

BAKU—“I have been engaged in U.S. – Azerbaijani relations since 1992 and I haven’t seen a situation worse than the one that currently exists in Azerbaijan,” former U.S. Ambassador to Azerbaijan Richard Kauzlarich (1994-1997) said when answering questions from the Azerbaijani news agency Turan.

Richard Kauzlarich expressed serious concerns about the political situation in Azerbaijan, pointing to new facts on persecutions of journalists and political activists. Meanwhile, dozens of American diplomats, congressmen and other officials are going to participate in a conference called “Vision for the Future” held in Washington on April 29-30. Some observers believe that this is a PR event sponsored by the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR), Turan reports.

According to Kauzlarich, the American Co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group, James Warlick, is being criticized in Azerbaijan, while U.S. Congressmen are accused of espionage. At the same time, the Azerbaijani authorities are financing an Azerbaijani-American conference to be held in Washington “to support the U.S.-Azerbaijan strategic partnership.”

Referring to the arrest of journalist Rauf Mirkadirov in Azerbaijan, Kauzlarich said the arrest of this prominent independent journalist after his forced deportation from Turkey, raised serious concerns among human rights groups all around the World.
Rauf Mirkadirov’s arrest for Kauzlarich “is the last link in the downstream actions of Aliyev’s regime aimed to suppress political dissidence, freedom of media and any attempts to engage in positive contacts between Armenians and Azerbaijanis.”

“The regime is not afraid of Russia or Iran but of its own citizens … [The Azerbaijani authorities] even prohibit hotels to host events organized by NGOs that criticize the regime. This is all further proof that the regime doesn’t care about foreign reactions to the growing suppression of the Azerbaijani people,” Kauzlarich emphasized.

As Turan notes, it is expected that at the upcoming U.S –Azerbaijani conference, six key U.S. Senators and the Deputy Assistant of the Secretary of State for Energy Diplomacy will make speeches at the special session on “Eurasian Energy Corridor.” At the same time, 20 other congressmen will discuss the U.S.-Azerbaijani strategic partnership in the Caspian region.

U.S. Ambassador to Azerbaijan Richard Morningstar and the deputy assistant of the Secretary of Defense Evelyn Farkas, along with several American scholars and an Azerbaijani member of parliament will make speeches at a panel discussion titled, “Azerbaijan, A Reliable Friend at the Most Important Global Crossroads.” None of those discussions are dedicated to the political situation in Azerbaijan.

Recently, the embassy of Azerbaijan has hired former member of Massachusetts’ House of Representatives Bill Delahunt to work on the organization of strategy and relations with the legislators, on relations with the U.S. government, communication with U.S. officials, and, perhaps, also with the American mass media, Turan reports.

Rauf Mirkadirov, a columnist for the Azerbaijani newspaper “Zerkalo,” was arrested on April 18 in Ankara on charges of expiration of documents. On April 19, Mirkadirov was deported to Azerbaijan, where he was immediately arrested and put in custody by the MNS on suspicion of treason. On April 21, the court in Baku sanctioned his arrest for three months. Mirkadirov is accused of cooperating with special services of Armenia; specifically he is accused of transferring state secrets, including information about the deployment of Azerbaijani armed forces to Armenia during 2008-2009.

Cease-fire: Two decades of “neither war nor peace” after the cessation of hostilities in Karabakh

April 27, 2014 By administrator

Next month marks the 20th anniversary of the cease-fire in the zone of the Karabakh conflict that ended hostilities and bloodshed in a war that lasted nearly three years, but after two decades of state ” neither war nor peace “, the still quivering conflict continues to hang like a sword of Damocles over the heads of the peoples of the region.

The Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict that began in the early 20th century, but has been “frozen” during the Soviet period, broke out in 1988, devouring thousands of lives, whose blood has reached the current borders of the region.

In the active phase of the conflict that lasted from 1988 to 1994, including military operations from 1992 to 1994, the Armenian side, including the armed forces of Armenia, Defense Army of Nagorno-Karabakh and units self-defense, have lost 6500 lives. According to data released by the authorities in Baku in January 2014, the number of victims to the Azerbaijani side was 11557. But in 1993 President Heydar Aliyev of Azerbaijan spoke of 16,000 victims. And in February 2007, a number of organizations and non-governmental experts of Azerbaijan reported about 24,000 victims and 4,000 missing soldiers.

Towns and villages in ruins, displaced people, broken lives, but also a liberated country and access to independence … Finally, a cease-fire was signed in May 1994. Signed Bishkek between representatives of Armenia, Nagorno-Karabakh, Azerbaijan with the mediation of Russia and reiterated Moscow marked the beginning of a new period of tension – a war of nerves.

On 5 May 1994, in the Kyrgyz capital of Bishkek, the leaders of the parliamentary structures of Azerbaijan, Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh signed what became known as the Bishkek protocol called for ceasefire from 9 May The same day, the authorized Russian President Vladimir Nagorno-Karabakh Kazimirov representative arranged a cease-fire for an indefinite period of time which was signed by the Azerbaijani Defense Minister Mamedrafi Mamedov; May 10 in Yerevan, he was signed by the Armenian Defense Minister Serzh Sarkisian, and May 11, in Nagorno-Karabakh was signed by Samvel Babayan army commander Karabakh. The cease-fire came into force on May 12 at midnight.

Many believe that the absence of major hostilities between Azerbaijan and Nagorno-Karabakh in the past 20 years is the one great success of international mediation in place to negotiate a lasting solution to the conflict.

But nearly 20 years after the conclusion of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), in its annual report for 2013, recognized that the search for a lasting political settlement of the Nagorno- Karabakh remains “one of the most complex challenges” in the OSCE region.

“Despite the declaration of a cease-fire in 1994, shootings in the region are common and violations of ceasefire are reported on an almost daily basis. Five civilians and 32 soldiers were wounded by gunshot in 2013 and 14 other casualties. In the same period, the team of Ambassador Andrzej Kasprzyk visited the contact line 16 times, and nine times the border, “notes the OSCE report published earlier this month.

The spokesman of the Armenian Defense Ministry Artsrun Hovhannisyan said that the cease-fire of 1994 was important for Armenia, but regrets that it is not viable and is not become a legal document.

“Our decisions and opinions are always the same: we want peace and we have always advocated this position. It would be nice if the opponent also had this approach, “said Hovhannisyan, noting with regret that after the signing of the cease-fire the Armenian side had every year up to a dozen victims because violations by the Azerbaijani side.

“As strange as it may be, but the opponent has forgotten that in 1994, he was the one who asked the ceasefire, we have copies of this call,” added the spokesman of the Ministry of Defence .

There a few years ago the former Russian co-chair of the Minsk Group Vladimir Kazimorov wrote about it on the site of the Regnum news agency of the Russian Federation. He said that it is the President of the Parliament of Azerbaijan Rasil Guliyev and his vice president Afiyatdin Jalilov who said Moscow and Bishkek it was necessary and urgent to sign a cease-fire. According Kazimirov in 1994 Baku thought only how to keep Barda and Tartar to stop the Armenians reaching the Kur River.

Until today, many in Armenia continues to assert that the cease-fire was the first concession made by the Armenian side as it was more necessary for Azerbaijan who had been at that time in a state of total disrepair and his army were completely demoralized after suffering a number of heavy defeats. Many also believe that the Armenian army, despite the shortage of manpower and material resources, had discharged his duties and without this agreement, Armenian units would have been much more favorable positions on the field today and Azerbaijan was forced to sign a pro-Armenian peace.

Political analyst Tigran Abrahamyan think war is not the way to resolve the conflict and from this point of view the only conclusion of the cease-fire was necessary and important for all parties. At the moment, says Abrahamian, the conflict took enormous resources to Armenia and Azerbaijan and Nagorno-Karabakh, where the main problems had been accumulated.

“The signing of the agreement established relative peace in the region, which, however, was not a guarantee against the resumption of hostilities. Nevertheless, the agreement allowed the parties to the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement process shift on the field of peaceful negotiations, “said the analyst.

Director of the Armenian Center for National and International Studies Manvel Sargsyan, who in 1992-1995 was Permanent Representative of Armenia and Karabagh in 1994 was also an advisor to the Minister of Foreign Affairs of NKR and participated in the negotiations of the after the war, says the war has never stopped since it began again with Turkey and probably will continue indefinitely. According to him, the Armenians have just managed to stop this war for some time.

“We managed to create the most important thing – the army. We managed to keep balance based on the power of the army, which is very essential. This is an unprecedented situation in the history of Armenia when we managed to defend ourselves. If you allow someone else to enter the territory, he disarms you and you will not be able to do anything, “said Sarkisian.

According to the Armenian political analysts, the number of violations of the cease-fire along the contact line increases and decreases depending on attempts of Azerbaijan to show the international community that the Nagorno-Karabakh is not frozen. Moreover, they say, by committing violations Azerbaijan also tries to resolve moral and psychological problems that have emerged in the country after the end of the war. Observers believe that before a final solution aggressive behavior Azerbaijan against Nagorno-Karabakh will not cease and that under these conditions Armenia needs to create effective defense mechanisms.

“Already two decades, our army and the entire Armenian people lived in a state of” no war, no peace “, it is a particularly difficult situation for any army and every soldier and officer took separately. But throughout this period, our army has fulfilled its mission with honor, “said Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan in his congratulatory speech on the occasion of the Army Day marked on January 28.

ArmeniaNow

Azerbaijan presses on Arif Yunusov because of his cooperation with Armenians: He is hospitalized in pre-infarction condition

April 27, 2014 By administrator

Azerbaijani authorities “revealing the spy network” will put an end to the Armenian-Azerbaijani joint projects with the participation of independent NGOs. The Azerbaijani news agency “Turan” reports referring to the joint statement of the Azerbaijani human rights activist Leyla Yunus and Armenian journalist Laura Baghdasaryan on the prosecution of Azerbaijani journalist Rauf Mirkadirov in espionage.

“We are two women – a human rights activist and a journalist – two mothers, one from Azerbaijan and the other from Armenia, cooperating for almost ten years. We stand shoulder to shoulder in the difficult task of creating and reinforcing the social dialogue between the two nations which are in a war for over 20 years. We go hand in hand for almost 10 years, releasing joint articles, books and finally creating the first and only unique joint website – publicdialogues.info. This is a platform for establishing a dialogue between Armenians and Azerbaijanis,” the statement reads.

The authors note that on the site created by them the citizens of Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia, Russia, Moldova, Ukraine, United States and European Union countries were talking, arguing, discussing important social problems.

“We are against future wars! We are against the death and hatred between our children and grandchildren, we are against the policy sowing hatred, we are against the hatred atmosphere towards our neighbors,” write Leyla Yunus and Laura Baghdasaryan.

The statement notes that on April 19, 2014 the Azerbaijani authorities arrested Azerbaijani journalist Rauf Mirkadirov on charges of espionage for Armenia. He has been an active participant in numerous online and international conferences held on their websites. On April 22 by the order of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan a joint team of investigators and the Prosecutor General of Ministry of National Security was created aimed at “disclosing a large network of Armenia spies in Azerbaijan.”

“It is easy to predict that this network is expected to include the members of our Dialogue. They have started to press on Laila already, the spouse of Arif Yunusov. Arif Yunusov, the author of eight books and over 230 articles on the modern history of the Caucasus, of the Karabakh conflict in particular, has been an active participant of international conferences in Armenian territory since 2001. Currently Arif Yunusov is hospitalized,” the statement reads.

Azerbaijani news portal “Hakqqin.az” also reports that political scientist Arif Yunus, the director of the Institute for Peace and Democracy, is in a pre-infarction condition and is urgently hospitalized.

“Earlier media repeatedly disseminated information that Leyla and Arif Yunus may face the fate of detained journalist Rauf Mirkadirov because they also often visited Armenia and participate in projects of “people’s diplomacy,” writes the portal.

Rauf Mirkadirov, columnist of Azerbaijani newspaper “Zerkalo”, was arrested on April 18 in Ankara on charges of expiration of documents. On April 19 Mirkadirov was deported to Azerbaijan, where he immediately was arrested and put in custody by the MNS on suspicion of treason. On April 21 the court in Baku sanctioned his arrest for three months. Mirkadirov is accused of the cooperation with special services of Armenia, specifically, he is accused of making the transfers of the state secret information, including those about the dislocation of Azerbaijani Armed forces to Armenia during 2008-2009.

Source: Panorama.am

Azerbaijan Cracks Down on Mullah Gülen Movement, Azerbaijan’s Syria-Problem, SCO Fights Color Revolutions & Drug Trafficking

April 24, 2014 By administrator

By Christoph Germann | April 20, 2014

Although the U.S.-backed Gülen movement has tried to topple Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan by all available means, the controversial political leader managed to achieve a decisive victory in Turkey’s recent local elections, which were viewed as a “referendum” on the Erdogan-led government. The Turkish PM did not waste any time by celebrating and instead continued his crackdown on the Gülen movement. Less than a week after the vote, the fight against the vast network of CIA puppet Fethullah Gülen led Erdogan to Azerbaijan, where Hizmet enjoys a strong presence:
Gülen: Top Issue in the Agenda of Erdoğan’s Visit to Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan has always had a tremendous importance for the Gülen movement, partly because that is where they started to expand and where they met success. Further development throughout the Caucasus and post-Soviet Central Asia helped them become one of the most powerful and influential transnational Islamic movement present in more than 130 countries. Still, Azerbaijan is the one place outside Turkey where the movement is the most involved. Indeed, numerous businesses and educational companies managed by Gülen’s disciples and sympathizers operate here. Among them are the highly visible international Qafqaz University, a network of 15 high schools and more than 20 Araz prep schools spread around the country. Besides, some major media, like the newspapers Zaman Azerbaijan, the radio station Burç and a TV channel, are close to the Gülen movement.
…
Azerbaijan Cracks Down On Gülen Movement
The transnational Turkish-Azeri Gülen community plays an important role in the bilateral relationship between the two countries and the Azerbaijani authorities have always been very supportive of Hizmet’s activities in Azerbaijan. But a few weeks ago, the Aliyev regime demonstrated its support of the Turkish PM by taking measures against the Gülen movement. In late February, while Erdogan stepped up his fight against Gülen’s shadowy network in Turkey, Azerbajani media reported that a similar “parallel structure” existed in Azerbaijan. Erdogan then shut down Gülen-associated private schools in order to target Gülen’s finances and asked other countries to follow suit. Within a few days, Hizmet’s schools in Azerbaijan were put under tight control:
Azerbaijan Backing Turkey’s Crackdown on Gülen Movement

In early March, Khalik Mammadov, vice-president of the State Oil Company of the Azerbaijani Republic (SOCAR), announced that the government-run energy company had taken over 11 Turkish-language high schools, 13 university-exam preparation centers and the private, Baku-based Caucasus University, all run by a Turkish educational company called Çağ Öğrətim (Era Education).
Çağ Öğrətim has never acknowledged a link with the Gülen movement, but most Azerbaijani education specialists and political experts have viewed its facilities as part of the Gülen movement’s 140-country network of schools. Çağ Öğrətim is part of the International Association of Turkish and Azerbaijani Manufacturers and Businessmen, a group that contains many Turkish companies that advocate Gülen’s principles.
…
Furthermore, the diplomatic missions of both Turkey and Azerbaijan reportedly provided the government in Baku with a list of local Gülen followers and emails showing ties between Azerbaijani officials and Hizmet were leaked to the media in early March. One of the implicated officials was Elnur Aslanov who is considered to be the “patron of the Azerbaijani branch of Gülen followers”. Shortly afterwards, Aslanov lost his job:
Turkey’s Gülen Controversy Spills over to Azerbaijan
Aslanov was sacked on March 17 after a decision by President Aliyev, but the document did not name a reason for his dismissal. He headed the political analysis and information department in the President’s administration since 2007, and is the son of Rabiyyat Aslanova, a ruling party MP, and reportedly has ties to the influential “grey cardinal” Ramiz Mekhtiyev, head of the President’s Administration. He was responsible for supervising the Center for Strategic Studies, some leading pro-governmental media outlets, and the pro-governmental youth organization Ireli. Two days later, Aslanov’s department was closed and merged with the Department of public-political issues.
A published list of alleged Azerbaijani Gülenists also included Defense Minister Zakir Hasanov and, ironically, SOCAR’s vice-president Khalik Mammadov, which has prompted some speculation whether Baku is really cracking down on Hizmet by placing its schools under SOCAR’s control or if the Gülenists are in league with the state-owned oil and natural gas corporation. Whatever the case may be, the Azerbaijani authorities have detained several Gülenists, who are also often referred to as “nurcu”, in the last few days after Erdogan’s visit to Baku and are now starting to blame them for Azerbaijan’s Syria-problem. In light of the increasing number of Azerbaijani fighters heading to Syria, Sheikh ul-Islam and Grand Mufti of the Caucasus Allahshukur Pashazadeh had already called for harsher measures against Islamic extremists including nurcus at the beginning of this month [emphasis mine]:
Allahshukur Pashazadeh calls for joint fight against wahhabi, nurcu and takfiris not honoring state law
Pashazadeh underlined the importance of joint fight against believers not honoring the laws of Azerbaijan Republic.

…

The Syria-Problem
Given Azerbaijan’s key role in NATO’s jihadi operations in the region, the increasing number of Azerbaijani terrorists in Syria is hardly surprising. By now, dozens of Azerbaijani fighters have sacrificed their lifes for the efforts of the NATO-GCC-Israel axis to topple the Syrian government and the Aliyev regime is totally fine with his as long as the jihadists do not come up with the idea of “liberating” their home country. One terrorist learned this the hard way when he returned to Baku a few days ago. But even if the jihadi mercenaries do as they are told and continue to fight in Syria, there might be an unpleasant surprise:
Armenia and Azerbaijan Share a Syria-Problem
The Syrian war is giving a headache to both Azerbaijan and Armenia, with jihadists heading into Syria from Azerbaijan and refugees heading out of Syria into Armenia. Most recently, Azerbaijani news outlets have reported that the leader of an Azerbaijani militant group has been captured by the rebel Al-Nusra Front, which recently took control of the ethnic Armenian town of Kessab, and allegedly sentenced to death.
…
It is unclear why the Azerbaijani terrorist leader was sentenced to death but the Al-Nusra Front usually does not need a good reason to kill somebody. Since joining “more moderate” terrorist groups can be dangerous, other Azerbaijani jihadists prefer to fight for one of the local al-Qaeda branches. Every other day media outlets in Azerbaijan report about a new video documenting the activities of Azerbaijanis in Syria. The presence of Central Asian terrorists in the Middle Eastern country was likewise first highlighted by online videos, which caused a great stir in their respective home countries. Although the local authorities have tried to contain terrorist recruitment in the ‘stans, many young men from the region continue to travel to Syria for jihad. Especially Kyrgyzstan struggles with this problem and so the grand mufti of Kyrgyzstan issued a statement this week calling on Kyrgyz youth to refrain from fighting in Syria. Moreover, two imams were removed from their posts and arrested:
Two imams banned from mosque service in Kyrgyzstan

Two members of extremist religious organizations banned in Kyrgyzstan worked as mosque imams in the Jalal-Abad Region in southern Kyrgyzstan.

The Kyrgyz State Committee for National Security confirmed the arrest: “Efforts are under way to check whether an imam from the Bazar-Korgon District and yet another one from the Suzak District in the Jalal-Abad Region have links to extremist religious organizations.”

Over the past few years Kyrgyz police have identified a number of cases where mosque imams were members of banned extremist religious organizations.
…
With members of extremist religious organizations such as Hizb ut-Tahrir working as mosque imams, the influx of Kyrgyz fighters into Syria comes as no real surprise. According to Kyrgyz officials, poor education of imams is one of the main reasons for the rise of Islamic extremism in the country. This has raised some concerns in neighboring Xinjiang, where the local authorities are facing a similar problem:
Xinjiang chairman vows to stop religious extremism

Nur Bekri, chairman of the government of west China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, has vowed to stop religious extremism from spreading in the ethnic region.

In an article in Monday’s edition of the Xinjiang Daily newspaper, he said recent years have seen separatists, terrorists and religious extremists renew their efforts to sabotage Xinjiang’s prosperity and stability by perpetrating a slew of terrorist incidents.

He went on to say that religious extremism had misled people, particularly the youth, into terrorist activities, and that those deceived became chess pieces in a politically motivated plot.
…
SCO to Fight Color Revolutions, Drug Trafficking

Police in Xinjiang clamp down on religious extremism, terrorism and separatism, also known as the “three evil forces”, and the law enforcers do not stand for any nonsense. With NATO troops reducing their presence in Afghanistan, the Chinese government is keeping a close eye on the security situation in neighboring countries because Beijing attaches utmost importance to stability in the region. After leading Afghan presidential candidate Abdullah Abdullah has already stated that the “door is wide open for the Taliban” to be included in political process, the Chinese authorities will be even more alert. Beijing is wary of developments, which could further Washington’s East Turkestan project. Therefore, China’s Public Security Minister Guo Shengkun used this week’s meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) to warn against new waves of color revolutions:
Guo Shengkun: SCO States are under threat of “color revolutions”
Ministry of Chinese Public Security, Guo Shengkun, stated during a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Security Council secretaries meeting held in Dushanbe on Thursday that the SCO member-states are under the threat of external forces, which are initiating “color revolutions”.

Mr. Guo noted that the SCO should join forces and work out joint measures to combat interference in the internal affairs of the countries. He proposed strengthening the management of NGOs and to strengthen control over social networks in order to “identify, analyze, prevent, and resolve scenarios of ‘color revolutions’ repetition in a timely manner in order to strengthen peace and stability in the region.”
…
Beijing: Islamists control regional drug trafficking routes

Extremist religious organizations, among them Hizb ut-Tahrir and the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan affiliated with Al-Qaeda, control drug trafficking routes which contribute the lion’s share of their financing, Chinese Public Security Minister Guo Shengkun said on Thursday.

The notorious terrorist organizations, such as the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, the Islamic Jihad and the East Turkestan Islamic Movement, are energetically returning to the region, and new terrorist organizations emerge and launch their operations, the Chinese minister told the SCO colleagues.

Many routes of drug trafficking are controlled by the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan and Hizb ut-Tahrir and the link between terrorism and drug trafficking is growing closer, Guo said.
…
As Shengkun rightly noticed, Washington’s jihadist mercenaries get paid with money from NATO’s opium trade, which is booming since the invasion of Afghanistan in 2001, because the drug money is “off the books”. Since the Central Asian authorities are partially complicit in the illegal drug trade, large quantities of Afghan heroin reach Russia and Europe via Central Asia. Small amounts of drugs are regularly seized and minor drug traffickers busted but this does not affect the multi-billion dollar trade with opium from Afghanistan:
Smuggling of more than 40 kg of Afghan heroin into Russia via Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan prevented in Tajikistan
Tajik special forces prevented the smuggling of more than 40 kg of Afghan heroin into Russia via territory of Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan, the public relations center of the State Committee of National Security of Tajikistan reported on Monday.
Wanted by Interpol drug-dealer from Kazakhstan detained in Bishkek

The employees of the National Central Bureau of Interpol in Kyrgyzstan detained a citizen of Kazakhstan, who is internationally wanted, in Bishkek Manas airport, the press service of Ministry of Internal Affairs of Kyrgyzstan reported Friday.

The man was trying to fly to Turkey on a passport with different name and photo. The detained man suspected of illegal possession, distribution and sale of Afghan drugs, trafficking via Kazakhstan to neighboring countries.
…
# # # #
Christoph Germann- BFP Contributing Author & Analyst
Christoph Germann is an independent analyst and researcher based in Germany, where he is currently studying political science. His work focuses on the New Great Game in Central Asia and the Caucasus region. You can visit his website here
– See more at: http://www.boilingfrogspost.com/2014/04/20/the-new-great-game-round-up-april-20-2014/#sthash.kd15iHp6.dpuf

Armenia needs to intensify propaganda – expert

April 21, 2014 By administrator

Expert in Azerbaijani studies Sargis Asatryan is sure that Azerbaijan regularly violates the ceasefire before each monitoring of the Line of Contact.

“During any monitoring mission sniping is intensified and, regrettably, neither the monitoring missions nor the international community gives an adequate response,” the expert said.

He pointed out the need for Armenia to implement a more active foreign policy. Azerbaijan is sparing no efforts for its anti-Armenian propaganda.

“We are acting in a different way not to incite hatred, but it is viewed in a different light. So we turn to be more passive than Azerbaijan.

We are strong because we are right in the context of historical truth. But we must more active present our truth to humanity,” Asatryan said.