Baku, Azerbaijan, Apr. 9
By Elchin Mehdiyev - Trend:
There is always pressure and there are people and organizations which are living off this pressure, Matthias Dornfeld, the Chairman of European Institute for Caucasus and Caspian Studies Berlin, told Trend, commenting on Azerbaijan's holding the first ever European games, as well as the slander campaign of some circles against the country on the eve of the games.
"They are making money with it," Dornfeld said of the powers that try to put pressure on Azerbaijan. "It is a clear part of lobbyism."
"My opinion is that you should not mix politics with sport," he said. "This international pressure appears meanwhile everywhere at any occasion."
Dornfeld said that there were such pressure on Azerbaijan on the eve of the Eurovision song contest too, adding that, however, Azerbaijan organized very good cultural event and good festivity.
"Everybody liked it. Baku opened its gates for Europeans, a lot of people came to song contest and they were first time in Baku and they saw a European city," he said.
Dornfeld noted that Azerbaijan has enough experience to organize such events as the First European Games. He added that Azerbaijan is a country of sports and is famous for it.
"It is a sport event and I am sure it will be successful," he said. "I am more than sure that the world will have much more positive view on Azerbaijan as a modern, stable country."
Baku 2015 is the first ever European Games, an exciting and innovative multi-sport event for the continent which will take place on June 12-28, 2015.
There will be a total of 20 sports at Baku 2015: 16 Olympic sports and four non-Olympic sports. More than 6,000 athletes from across Europe will be representing their nations over 17 days of competition.
Baku was awarded the games by the European Olympic Committees (EOC) in December 2012.
German expert explains pressure exerted on Azerbaijan amid European Games
There is always pressure and there are people and organizations which are living off this pressure.
