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The hearings on “the human rights situation in the United States: paradoxes of the country’s foreign policy” have today been held with the support of the Council of State Support to Non-Governmental Organizations under the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan.
The event was attended by MPs, representatives of political parties, NGO leaders and media representatives.
Delivering opening remarks at the event, Council Chairman Azay Guliyev said in recent months, public institutions, including a number of agencies in the United States have been making biased statements regarding Azerbaijan, taking positions that do not meet the strategic cooperation between the two countries.
“The Azerbaijani community is concerned about these statements. The Council has already received appeals on such an approach by the US toward Azerbaijan. In this regard we decided to hold hearings to discuss the human rights situation in the US. NGO and political party leaders, MPs and analysts were invited to the event. We also would like to clarify the paradoxes in the US’s policy regarding Azerbaijan. Why do think tanks in the US target Azerbaijan since the Guantanamo Bay detention camp is still open, and human rights are violated in Fergusson?”
Guliyev noted that Azerbaijan as a strategic partner has fulfilled all of its commitments. “Armenia made a strategic decision on joining the Eurasian Economic Union. Did anyone in the US object to that? Why no one in the U.S. reacts to 78 NGO members declared political prisoners by Armenia and 102 by Georgia? Why do they try to convey messages to Azerbaijan through former US diplomats? Former diplomats like Kozlarich and Kramer overtly speak out against Azerbaijan. As former diplomats, they cannot convey any message on their own”.
He noted that Azerbaijan has not joined any bloc, and the state policy is aimed at protecting its independence and national interests.
In his speech on the subject of “Ethnic, racial, and religious discrimination in the US: Growing manifestation of Xenophobia and Islamophobia”, MP Zahid Oruj said national, religious, and ethnic problems still remain in the US, noting that black people constitute 13 percent of the US population but their social status and education falls behind those of the white.
“The color of Barack Obama failed to eliminate racial problems in the US”, he added.
Z. Oruj said that up to 7 million Muslims live in the US, and they still suffer from consequences of the 11 September incident.
“They equate Muslims with terrorism. The US has no receipt that can completely solve the problem of human rights,” he noted.
Azer Hasrat, Chairman of the Central Asia and South Caucasus Free Expression
Network (CASFEN), said that despite Azerbaijan and the US are strategic partners, some US non-governmental organizations and human rights centers target Azerbaijan.
Politician Elman Nasirov said the US president acts in absolutely accordance with the policy of corruption: “In 2012, a candidate paid $550-700,000 to Barack Obama’s election campaign in order to become an ambassador. The US made use of corruption elements for the sake of realizing its policy. Lobbyism is considered to be a good institute for that,” he added.
Director of the Center for Strategic Researches under the Presidential Administration of the Republic of Azerbaijan Farhad Mammadov said the US has engaged in military intervention in 45 countries.
“According to the report of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), nearly half of the 10.5 million refugees emerged as a direct result of US interventions”.
According to F. Mammadov, the US has demonstrated a double standard regarding the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh, sent aid to the Nagorno-Karabakh separatists, appointed inexperienced diplomats OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs, and not cancelled amendment 907.
MP Musa Gasimli mentioned that double standard policy is clearly observed in the US’s policy toward the Armenian-Azerbaijani problem.
MP Gudrat Hasanguliyev said the US has reasons to take such an attitude toward Azerbaijan.
“David Kramer said in his interview that interrogating the employees of Radio Azadlig, financed by the US, is a stupid action. They don’t touch upon the reasons of interrogation and say that if we finance it shouldn’t be interfered. After the presidential elections in 2003, Radio Azadlig started to broadcast in Azerbaijan and gradually changed its policy. Barack Obama invited Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev to Istanbul. The US has changed its policy after President Ilham Aliyev refused to visit Istanbul. Thus, President Ilham Aliyev would be required opening of the Turkish-Armenian border and ignoring national interests of Azerbaijan.”
Hasanguliyev also recalled the fates of Syria, Iraq and Libya which didn’t pursue a policy in accordance with the US’s interests. “We must try to avoid such an attitude towards Azerbaijan. The Azerbaijan government should avoid open confrontation with the United States,” he emphasized.
Chairman of the Council of State Support for Nongovernmental Organizations under Azerbaijani President Azay Guliyev stated that Azerbaijan is trying to maintain the friendly relations with the United States, but the opposite side should show a sincere attitude as well.
Apa.az
