Index on Censorship: Power and money of ‘‘BP’’ encourage Aliyev regime to continue repression against civil society

September 21, 2014 By administrator

On the day of the 20th anniversary of the “Contract of the Century” Azerbaijanis sent a letter to the Director General of British Petroleum (BP) Bob Dudley, demanding to end repressions in Azerbaijan. This is stated in the article written by Emma Hamilton, published on the website of the international human rights organization “Index on Censorship”.

As it is noted in the article on 20 September 1994 BP signed a contract with then president Heydar Aliyev to extract Azerbaijani oil. “This initiated the oil company’s two-decade relationship with Azerbaijan, providing money and power to Aliyev, which the letter argues, has hindered democracy in the country,” the letter reads.

Mirvari Gahramanli, The Oil Workers Right Protection Organisation Union says: “BP is where the president got his power from. What is he without the money? Where is his wealth, where are his police, without BP’s money? The Aliyevs have grown rich from BP and now as a result they have much more power,” she stated.

The letter is asking BP to call on the Aliyev government to release all 98 political prisoners currently being detained. It also asks that BP remove its sponsorship from the 2015 Baku European Olympic games.

Source: Panorama.am

USA The “New York Times” published a report on the lobbying of Azerbaijan in Washington, funded by the Azerbaijani oil company SOCAR

September 9, 2014 By administrator

“New York Times” has published documents that show the lobbying of Azerbaijan in Washington. In 2012 Azerbaijan has used the services of a company to influence public opinion and lobbying in Washington to present Azerbaijan as a reliable partner on security issues. According to the “New York Times”, the Azeri state oil company SOCAR has invested large sums to the “charm offensive” to the analysis and opinion “Atlantic Council” center. Nevertheless, according to the newspaper, the objectives of Baku would not have been achieved. Azerbaijan would nevertheless held in Washington a series of lectures and seminars obeying this lobbying, conferences, one of whose themes was “efforts visibility of Azerbaijan as a NATO partner” and had the participation of a number of officials and leaders of an American State Department stressed that the role of Baku as a strategic partner of the Atlantic Alliance. Also in this continuity, Azerbaijan would have called this year the services of a lobbying organization “Podesta Group” led by a certain Tony Podesda, close to President Barack Obama.

Krikor Amirzayan

Daily Mail: Close ties of British Prince Andrew with corrupt leadership of such countries as Azerbaijan gives rise to questions

July 11, 2014 By administrator

British Prince Andrew, Duke of York, is in close ties with the leaders of Azerbaijan and Robert Dudley – the head of the British company British Petroleum, who is a major investor in the oil sector of Azerbaijan, the British newspaper Daily Mail reports.

Duke of York held a private meeting this week with the boss of BP, Bob Dudley. “More than a year after Andrew quit his trade envoy post, he summoned Britain’s ambassador to Azerbaijan, Peter Bateman, to a private meeting at the Palace. Duke’s links with the country, ruled by one of the most corrupt regimes in the world gave rise to many questions,” the article reads.

According to the Daily Mail, the press service of Prince Andrew confirmed the fact of the private meeting with Bob Dudley, but refused to comment on the details.

Last December, a BP-led group signed a deal in Azerbaijan that paved the way for a $45 billion pipeline project that will provide a fourth major route for natural gas to flow to the European market, the article notes.

The Duke has visited Azerbaijan’s leader some eight times in six years, the article reads. “His dealings with the despot range from official trips and private holidays to throwing a luncheon for President Aliyev at Buckingham Palace,” is noted in the article.

Investigation by Greg Palast: Heydar Aliyev came to power by efforts of UK intelligence services and BP corporation

April 21, 2014 By administrator

The former BP executive Leslie Abrahams told investigative reporter Greg Palast how the CIA, MI6 and British Petroleum engineered a coup d’état, overthrowing a nation’s elected president who was “not favorable to BP.” This journalistic investigation has been placed on British site TruthDig.

“In 1992, then-BP Chairman Lord Browne flew into Baku as soon as the young state elected its first president, Abulfaz Elchibey.
Former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher joined him At a state dinner, Browne handed Abrahams, a BP vice president at the time, a briefcase with a check for $30 million. Browne then gave the check to the president of Azerbaijan,” the article stated.

Still, the new president remained “not favorable” to BP’s demand for control of the Caspian oil, so MI6, the CIA and the corporation went into action, the author notes. The spy agencies armed and empowered former Soviet KGB chief Heydar Aliyev, who in 1993 overthrew Azerbaijan’s elected government. Once he became dictator, Aliyev named himself president for life and within four months signed a no-bid deal to give the reserves to BP, the author notes.

“BP executives did not deny the payoffs, and MI6 officers proudly confirmed the coup’s purpose of locking in the offshore deal for BP.”

The journalist tells that he revealed this story while investigating a material on the Gulf of Mexico for the Channel 4. He found out that a disaster had occurred in the Gulf of Mexico because of the BP. But, it turned out that this was not BP’s first cement failure and explosion. Earlier, BP’s Caspian Sea Transocean rig had suffered exactly the same fate. Palast left for Baku with his crew to find out what happened in reality.

“But we had been ratted out. My crew was placed under arrest by Azerbaijan’s secret police. Although officers demanded our film, I was allowed to keep my pen, which was actually a hidden camera,” he noted.

According to the journalist one of the arresting cops told them with odd pride, “BP drives this country.”

Robert Ebel, former chief of oil analysis for the CIA, estimates that at least $140 million in payments by BP for Azeri oil has gone unaccounted for. To the author, this money was appropriateed by the ruling elite of Azerbaijan who despite the small sallary likes to live kingly.

Azerbaijani oil worker advocate Mirvari Gahramanli said she was beaten by police for raising questions and showed the photographs.

What’s worse, while I was tossed out of the country, my witnesses disappeared, sums up Greg Palast.

According to TruthDig this reportage prepared by the journalist was presented by British Free Speech TV on Sunday.

Source: Panorama.am