BAKU, Azerbaijan, January 5. The US statement regarding freedom of religion in Azerbaijan has no ground, former president of the Israel-Azerbaijan International Association (Aziz) Lev Spivak told Trend.
Spivak said this, following US Secretary of State Antony Blinken's statement about the inclusion of several countries, with Azerbaijan among them, in a "special watch list" regarding the freedom of religion.
"These demarches are just an excuse to prove themselves, to show off in front of someone. I don't think it carries any real meaning, it has no ground," he said.
Spivak noted that by his occupation he is always in touch with Jewish communities in different cities of Azerbaijan.
"I am well acquainted with the heads of the communities of Mountain Jews, Georgian Jews, and the Ashkenazi community of Baku, with the rabbi representing Chabad in Azerbaijan, the chief rabbi in Azerbaijan. I know the Jewish community of Sumgayit, Red Town (Krasnaya Sloboda). I have met Jews in Ismayilli, which has no community, they just don't feel the need for it. They live an ordinary life like all the Azerbaijanis around them, Muslims, atheists, all kinds of people. I have met with the Jewish community in Ganja, I know the chairman of the community. And never in all the years that I have been dealing with matters related to relations between Israel and Azerbaijan, as well as issues of natives of Azerbaijan, I have never heard any complaint about anything whatsoever," he said.
Spivak also shared a story related to the issue, taking place in Israel.
"In 2007 or 2008, there was an annual meeting of the Knesset Human Rights Commission. Representatives of various communities gathered natives of Morocco, France, and Russia. Me and Head of the Azerbaijan Cultural Center in Israel Yegiana Salman, represented the natives of Azerbaijan. Everyone complained about certain difficulties of Jews in their countries of origin. When it came to us, I said that the difficulties of Jews in Azerbaijan are absolutely no different from those of Azerbaijanis and do not stand out in any way. We have always lived in Azerbaijan without knowing who our neighbors are by nationality, and we have always celebrated holidays of different religions with joy. I have a huge number of Jewish friends in Azerbaijan, they are not looking to go somewhere else, because they feel comfortable in this country. They don't experience any discrimination or oppression. They are all satisfied with their quality of life," he concluded.