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The visiting deputies of Bundestag of the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) – a member of the committees for economic cooperation and development, tourism Helga Daub, and Chairman of the German-Turkish Parliamentary Friendship Group Johannes Kahrs gave an exclusive interview to AzerTAc.
– Germany-Azerbaijan relations have deep historical roots. The German companies operated in Azerbaijan at the beginning of last century. The settlements where Germans lived still exist in Azerbaijan. The ties between our countries cover a wide range of political, economic and cultural spheres. Unfortunately, some political circles of Germany, media outlets are spreading biased information on Azerbaijan in recent times. We would like to know your opinion on this issue?
– Helga Daub: President of Azerbaijan Mr. Ilham Aliyev received us. The relevant issue was widely discussed during the meeting. Of course, there is serious injustice against Azerbaijan. Sometimes the press exaggerates some issues, you can encounter this in our country too. There is no state without problems in the world. Besides, Azerbaijan has such a painful issue as Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. I think Azerbaijan has come under the unfair criticism because of Eurovision song contest. The attention of the entire world has been drawn to Azerbaijan, so unjust criticism also appeared. I hope that everything will evolve for the better.
You can be sure of this by our side. I am a member of Bundestag`s Parliamentary Friendship Group for Relations with the States of the Southern Caucasus, and Johannes Kahrs is a chairman of German-Turkish Parliamentary Friendship Group. We will continue our relations in spite of that, education the German society about Azerbaijani realities.
We know very well that Azerbaijan, located on the crossroads of West and East, is the most important partner of Germany in this geographic area. Germany-Azerbaijan relations have almost 200-year history. In order to get a complete view of Azerbaijan, I have decided to visit your country on my own initiative. In order to put an end to all this confusion, it is enough just to visit Azerbaijan, and see the progress, development happening here.
We had interesting meetings in the various ministries as part of the visit. We obtained extensive information on your country. The development of Azerbaijan really impressed me. This is not only my opinion, I believe that my colleagues feel the same way, confirm this. We will inform the certain circles of Germany on the positive dynamics in Azerbaijan to shape respective opinions. Of course, not all are absolutely perfect in Germany, too. It would be better to start a dialogue instead of talking about each other.
– Johannes Kahrs: The materials published in the German press, drew the attention in quite another direction. The most important is to get acquainted with the situation just on the spot. You can put forward an opinion on the situation in any country only after this. Our delegation is headed by famous politician, former Foreign Minister Hans-Dietrich Genscher. It is really important fact that he is among us. I was in Azerbaijan four years ago. The development of Azerbaijan over the past period fascinated me. I had meetings with the deputies of Milli Majlis in the framework of the visit, and we decided to hold the meeting of MPs of the three countries. We must constantly strengthen the tripartite relations between Azerbaijan, Germany and Turkey.
– The economic and financial crisis has created a threat to the European democracy. The cases of extremism, neo-fascism, and Nazism are increasing with the deepening of crisis. Experts are talking about the possibility of splitting the Eurozone. How do you see the future of the European Union from this point of view?
– Johannes Kahrs: Germany renders necessary assistance to the European Union, and at the same time the EU makes contributions to our country. This is a very important factor. The economic development in Germany is a little bit different. There is a problem of unemployment in Germany, the prices for oil and taxes are increasing. This is also seen in other European countries. We have to face the tasks of overcoming these challenges. We try to regulate the financial sector. At the same time, the European countries should continue efforts to improve the state budget.
– Azerbaijan hosted the most outstanding music contest of Europe after a year of grandiose victory in Dusseldorf. Have you watched the contest, and what are your impressions? There were various positions in connection with the contest. There were calls even for a boycott. However, Baku has held a very special event. In conclusion, the European media confessed that the Baku scene was grandiose. How do you think, is this true?
– I have watched the great show. The Baku scene was really amazing. The contest was organized at a high level. It was very nice to hear positive feedbacks from the participants and guests of the event.
