Details added (first version posted on 18:23)
Baku, Azerbaijan, May 19
Trend:
Azerbaijan and the United States have always had good relations over the past 20 years, Ali Hasanov, the head of the Public and Political Issues Department of Azerbaijani Presidential Administration told Trend.
He was commenting on some of the U.S. Ambassador to Azerbaijan, Richard Morningstar's negative comments regarding democracy in Azerbaijan and the country's domestic and foreign policy, which he made in an interview with the Azadlyg radio.
"Today, the ties between the two countries are quite stable, and cooperation in various areas has reached the level of strategic partnership," Hasanov said. "The energy security, trans-national transport and communication policy and the policy of corridors, the fight against terrorism, joint participation in international peacekeeping missions and others are the important issues on the agenda of bilateral partnership relations."
Hasanov went on to say that, based on international law, Azerbaijan extensively cooperates with the entire trans-national world, including the U.S., within the principle of non-interference in each other's internal affairs, mutual trust, fruitful and effective cooperation with friendly and partner countries.
He stressed that Azerbaijan, as a partner, has always responsibly fulfilled its international commitments.
"Along with this, Azerbaijan is a state pursuing a policy that does not depend on anyone - it is absolutely independent," Hasanov stressed.
"Our country is distinguishable for its place and role in the system of international relations. The policy, conducted by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev for over ten years, serves to further strengthening independence, securing national interests, and improvement of our country's international image," Hasanov stressed.
"I believe it is not good when the U.S. or another big state or an international organization interferes in Azerbaijan's internal affairs or its foreign policy in any way, seeks to control it, and "teaches the people how to live". I believe these attempts will be unsuccessful," Hasanov stressed.
He went on to add that Morningstar's statements made during the interview, meet neither today's spirit of relations between Azerbaijan and the U.S., nor the requirements "on diplomatic relations" of the Vienna Convention, adopted in 1961.
"Under the convention, the foreign countries' diplomats must respect the laws and norms of public life of the country, where they work and they should not interfere in the internal and external affairs of that country," Hasanov stressed. "A diplomatic mission's main functions include supporting friendly relations between its country and the country, in which it operates, and assisting the development of social, economic, cultural and other relations between the nations. Unfortunately, these requirements have been somewhat violated in Richard Morningstar's statements."
"I believe that the biased and prejudiced comments on domestic and foreign policy of Azerbaijan, the use of impermissible rhetoric, classification of an independent country's authorities, the attempts to impose own worldview and interests of own country to another independent state, of course, cannot be regarded as an example of professional diplomacy," Ali Hasanov underscored.
He also said that most of the allegations in Morningstar's interview, remind of subjective provisions in the reports of some foreign NGOs that are under the influence of the Armenian diaspora and that have been famous for their anti-Azerbaijani position for many years.
Hasanov stressed that such parallels are thought-provoking and strongly concern Azerbaijan.
Hasanov also underscored that today various developments are taking place in different parts of the world with participation of the U.S. and the West, and the logic behind these developments is difficult to understand not only by Azerbaijan, but also by the rest of the world.
""Maidan" movement in Iraq, Libya, Egypt, Syria, Ukraine and some other countries negate all the progressive principles in the system of modern international relations," Hasanov added.
"The unconstitutional change of power, forcibly carried out in independent countries, and their dire consequences, namely, violation of socio-political stability, internal confrontation and inciting a civil war, undermining the economy, boosting a social tragedy are the tragedy of these peoples, rather than democratic changes, described by the ambassador," he said.
Hasanov added that if any outside circles want re-occurrence of these events in Azerbaijan, there is no doubt that they will be disappointed," he added.
"Regarding the opinion about the lack of solidity of Azerbaijani authorities, I think that this is nothing but a subjective opinion of the ambassador," he said. "The authorities were formed proceeding from the people's will in Azerbaijan. No matter who and how considers it, a fundamental and thought-out policy for the dynamic development of the country, the protection of national interests, improvement of the population's social welfare and other directions is being conducted in the form of a unified team under the leadership of President Ilham Aliyev."
Hasanov noted that Azerbaijan's domestic and foreign policy is carried out taking into account the national interests, rather than in the form corresponding to the desire of some circles.
"Azerbaijan is a country, based on its geographical and geopolitical position, national interests and peculiarities of people," he said. "It is distinguished by the policy meeting the modern world realities and its way of development. This principled, consistent and purposeful policy of the country will continue in the future."