Federal Lezghi
National and Cultural Autonomy

Why FLNCA didn’t get to Tbilisi

Roe and gas diplomacy of Baku does work yet

Evidently the activity of FLNCA in international direction attracted attention of Baku as state and public institutions of Europe got from Baku the alternative source on the situation of Lezghins and other indigenous peoples of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

It is possible that the trip of the representatives of FLNCA to Tbilisi in order to take part in the First Ministerial Conference of East partnership on the culture didn’t take place because of interference of Azerbaijan officials.

During the trips to Geneva and Brussels: joining the UNPO and taking part in the work of Committee of the UN on economic, social and cultural rights, FLNCA not only declared to the world about many problems of divided nation – Lezghins but also regulated and strengthened connections with different organizations and some deputies of the European Parliament. The next steps of FLNCA are to take part in events of different international organizations and to join different organizations on ethnic minorities’ rights protection.

The meeting of FLNCA's President Arif Kerimov with the deputy of the European Parliament from the Netherlands Teysom Berman

One of the events in which FLNCA should have taken part on the recommendation of the UNPO was the First Ministerial Conference of East partnership on the culture which was held in Tbilisi on the 26-28 of June.

The leitmotif of the conference was to strengthen regional and cultural connections and dialog in the region of East partnership, and also between cultural nets of active faces of the European Union and East countries (Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia, Moldova, the Ukraine, and Belarus).

Among the aims of East partnership which should have been discussed in the conference the delegation of FLNCA was especially interested in the support of regional initiatives which are characterized by positive cultural investment in the economical improvement, social integration, solving the conflicts and intercultural dialog.

The program of the conference consisted of the discussion of social integration, access to the culture and education, and also the possibility "Discussion with the audience” which was very topical for the Lezghin organization.

In the conference the representatives of FLNCA were going to make talks about the situation of ethnic minorities in the Republic of Azerbaijan and the observance their cultural and language rights in this country.

The meeting of FLNCA's President Arif Kerimov with the deputy of the European Parliament from the Czech Republic Milan Kabrnokh

In order to be invited to this event FLNCA all the time was in the connection with the organizers of the event and also closely cooperated with the UNPO which also tried to help FLNCA to be a participant of the conference.

But suddenly some difficulties in this question appeared. It was impossible to fill in and send the registration form which was on the website of the conference. At the end the filled in forms of FLNCA were sent by the UNPO. The representative of the UNPO told that there were some problems on the website of the conference. And the documents were sent again when the website worked.

But it was so strange when we were told that FLNCA had been late! It happened in spite of the fact that the workers of FLNCA were watching out for the website of the conference and sent the documents as soon as the website began working. As it became clear the invitations to the conference were given to the first 15 people registered on the website.

 

The First Ministerial Conference of Eastern Partnership on the culture, Tbilisi

All these are the reason of distrust to the registration process. It seems that this was made in order not to let the undesirable experts for Azerbaijan to take part in the conference.

In such cases it is always possible to legalize refusals to the potential participants on "the quite objective foundations”, as the necessary people made the registrations without any problems.

The doubts dispersed when we got the information about the meeting of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev with the head of the European commission Jose Manuel Barros on the 21st of June in Brussels. They negotiated about the delivery of gas to Europe.

The delivery of gas from Azerbaijan to Europe was a serious argument for the European officials in order to go back on their principles. During the meeting human rights problems and the situation of ethnic minorities weren’t discussed.

As it is said by Deutsche Welle:

"Ilham Aliyev said that there is no political prisoner in my country”.

Aliyev said that all civil freedoms, including the freedom of meeting, are observed. And the political parties can function without any hindrances. The critical notes to Baku the President called: "based on incorrect information or on prejudiced attitude”.

The President of the European Commission José Manuel Barroso and the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev

Neither Barros nor other representatives of the European Parliament contend for the Ilham Aliyev’s position. It is not strange that after such an important agreement European officials did everything in order not to spoil the relationship with Baku. That’s why the delegation of FLNCA wasn’t able to take part in the Ministerial Conference of East partnership on the culture.

But the authorities of Azerbaijan will not be able to keep silent about the problems of ethnic minorities’ rights. First of all there are many other European and world areas where these problems will be sound. Secondly independent mass-media and civil societies of Europe will not keep silence in spite of the generosity of Baku, fundamental values of democracy are much more important for them.

Thirdly, destructive processes in Azerbaijan promptly accrue promptly, especially on the threshold of autumn elections. And, as we know, if the steam from a boiling copper is not taken away, it will inevitably break off on parts.

That’s why this event has to testify not to success of foreign policy of Azerbaijan but rather it testifies that the ruling authority does everything in order to keep silent about their problems they don’t want to solve. And the sad fate of dictatorships abolished by "the Arab spring" taught it to nothing.

Amil Sarkarov

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