Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 2
By Elmira Tariverdiyeva - Trend:
Azerbaijan held the parliamentary election. With deep concern for the Western media and many institutions, the election was held properly and quietly. It is noteworthy that the election was held amid constant negativity in the Western media and their terrible prophecies of riots and revolutions. This occurred despite all authoritative European and US organizations which conducted polls before the election in the country unanimously predicted such an outcome, which will be, apparently, the result of the election.
Within all years of its independence, Azerbaijan has regularly faced with double standards of the West because it refused to be someone's raw materials appendage. It refused from the imposed policy, and in general, did not want to be anyone's colony. But the West has some colonial ambitions against Azerbaijan that become frustrated amid Baku's own political course.
The fact that a small country, which gained independence only 24 years ago is willing and able to be with the world powers on equal terms could not but worry the West. The West gets accustomed to some small countries' submission and has been trying to destabilize the civil society of Azerbaijan many times during all these years. Fortunately, it failed.
Destabilizing the situation in the country on the eve of any important event became the bad tradition of the EU countries and the US. Such destabilization has continued for several years. The Western media, also working in Azerbaijan, as well as the so-called agents of influence, such as NGOs, lobbing the interests of the West, are used for this purpose.
The Western "partners" have established dozens of the so-called "human rights organizations" in the country since the beginning of 2000s. According to the well known schemes used in many post-Soviet countries, while using the foreign grants, they lay themselves out by describing the virtues of the Western democracy and called for various changes.
Moreover, the country's all achievements were turned by them and their masters into the reason for much negative remarks.
The fact that Azerbaijan could not only win the Eurovision song contest, but held this contest in its best traditions in 2012, caused an unprecedented black PR, which hit the country in the Western press.
Nevertheless, Eurovision song contest and later the First European Games, which became a reason for endless criticism of the country, are not political events and should not be a reason for permanent criticism of Baku in media.
By the way, the attempts to intensify the protest mood in the country by the West are not only assumptions, but proven facts. Most recently, in 2014 then US ambassador to Azerbaijan Richard Morningstar threatened Azerbaijan saying that the "Ukrainian Maidan", that's to say, revolution can occur in Baku in coming 5-10 years.
It is a quite clear message which can be decoded as a direct threat to the country's authorities in the case of refusing to follow West's will. Baku again did not give way to threats and provocations, and continued its own policy, without supporting West's radical measures against numerous rivals in the region and without supporting the sanctions against Russia.
In response to de facto refusal to support the sanctions, the West again started to accuse Baku of "violating human rights". High-level organization of the First European Games in Azerbaijan, as well as the fact that the country has been one of the most reliable partners of the West in the region for many years, was left behind the scenes.
By the way, that time, investigation revealed that the anti-Azerbaijani campaign was held directly from the office of the US Secretary of State John Kerry.
National Endowment for Democracy (NED) organization was instructed to carry out this campaign. The organization which was financed from the US budget, has attempted to form "the fifth column" in Azerbaijan for many years. NED was sending millions of dollars to some NGOs and media structures in Azerbaijan from western sources.
The permanent criticism of Azerbaijan by the former US ambassador to the country Richard Kauzlarich and former head of Freedom House David Kramer is another example. After resigning, they have decided to dedicate their life to a permanent and merciless battle with Azerbaijan in all possible ways.
These two Americans constantly make calls, accusations and threats, thus confusing observers with their ardent hatred of the country.
No one was any longer surprised by the following developments, the European Parliament's September resolution on Azerbaijan, as well as the decisions of the OSCE's ODIHR and Parliamentary Assembly to not send observers to the country.
However, the attempts to continue the anti-Azerbaijan actions at PACE have failed, and the Council of Europe sent a delegation of 32 people to the country to observe the Nov. 1 parliamentary election.
Meanwhile, the West still ignores Azerbaijan's interests and pursues only its own goals, showing an unequivocal anger and aggression whenever it sees that Baku pursues its own national interests and doesn't make any hasty steps in favor of the West.
Europe and the US, apparently, can't accept that the Azerbaijani authorities don't give them an opportunity to seize the country's oil and gas sector.
They are also trying to divert the oil and gas revenues from the country's budget to the Western corporations operating in the country.
There is only one hope - the hope that with time, the West will finally realize the futility of political pressure on Baku - a pressure the West conducts through its "violations of civil liberties and human rights" campaign.
This campaign by the way immediately loses its relevance when it comes to the interests of Western companies.
For example the talks about human rights in Iran, a country which executes hundreds of people each year, immediately stopped after the Western companies got an opportunity to return to Iran's rich market and draw good financial benefits there.
---
Elmira Tariverdiyeva is the head of Trend Agency's Russian news service
