HEAPING ON THE CAVIAR DIPLOMACY
How does an autocratic regime divert attention abroad from its human-rights record and discourage the opposition at home? In the case of Azerbaijan, through lavish extravaganzas and high-end lobbying
The government practises a revolving-door policy with critics, locking them up and releasing them when it is expedient. Dozens received pardons before Aliyev’s trip to a nuclear-security summit in Washington,DC, earlier this year. And just before the eyes of the world turned to Baku for the FI race, the Supreme Court, which is anything but independent, ordered the release of Khadija Ismayilova, an investigative journalist who had been detained in 2014, supposedly for tax evasion and other crimes, but in reality for writing about corruption.
[…]
Rebecca Vincent, a former United States diplomat in Baku who now works with Sport for Rights, a campaign group, says FI and its sponsors “should be ashamed to allow themselves to be used as a propaganda tool”.
[…]
Azerbaijan is desperate to be seen as part of the European family, despite being inconveniently located in the South Caucasus, to the east of its ethnic brethren in Turkey. Its FI race was branded the Grand Prix of Europe. That was “a bit cheeky”, chuckles Sir Martin.
[…]
At the European level, much of Azerbaijan’s effort has been directed – largely successfully – at the Council of Europe (COE), an organisation focused on promoting democracy, the rule of law and economic development across the continent. Controversially, Azerbaijan has been admitted as a member and was even chair of its committee of ministers during a particularly harsh crackdown on its domestic critics in 2014.
[…] PACE has often gone soft on Azerbaijan, toning down criticism of its human-rights violations and iffy elections. […] In June it emerged that prosecutors in Milan have accused Luca Volontè, an Italian politician, of accepting bribes of more than €2m from Azerbaijan while leader of a faction in PACE.
[…]
In America, the Azeris spoon out caviar diplomacy through their embassy, through SOCAR, the regime’s oil company, and, until recently at least, through the Azerbaijan America Alliance (AAA), an American version of TEAS. They also work with lobbying firms, including Podesta Group, co-founded by Tony and John Podesta. The latter was chief of staff to Bill Clinton and an adviser to Barack Obama, and now chairs Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign. […] “Is America really that cheap to buy?” asks the recently released investigative journalist Ismayilova.
Condivido con estremo piacere un articolo apparso sul sito Karabakh.it, di cui riporto un estratto, sulla politica denominata “al caviale” della diplomazia azera, fatta di regalie e finanziamenti occulti a personaggi politici ed influenti di tutto il mondo.
Il presidente dell’Assemblea Parlamentare del Consiglio d’Europa (PACE), il filo azero Agramunt, interrompe il discorso della delegata azera che ricorda il procedimento penale verso il deputato italiano Luca Volontè
Nessuno è colpevole fino alla condanna e certamente non vogliamo sottrarci a questo principio di garanzia. Pertanto non considereremo mai il deputato italiano Luca Volontè colpevole di aver percepito 2.400.000 euro dal regime dell’Azerbaigian come un procedimento penale avviato dalla Procura di Milano sta cercando di accertare in questi ultimi mesi.
[…]
Sarebbe il caso che la magistratura (non solo milanese) e la politica italiana provassero a esplorare il variegato mondo della ingerenza e della corruzione azera in Italia. Certo ci sono anche i “poveri idioti” che si fanno trascinare in qualche convegno, basta anche solo un viaggio o una cena pagata; ma per certi incalliti ammiratori di Aliyev e compagni il dubbio confina strettamente con la certezza.
How does an autocratic regime divert attention abroad from its human-rights record and discourage the opposition at home? In the case of Azerbaijan, through lavish extravaganzas and high-end lobbying
The government practises a revolving-door policy with critics, locking them up and releasing them when it is expedient. Dozens received pardons before Aliyev’s trip to a nuclear-security summit in Washington,DC, earlier this year. And just before the eyes of the world turned to Baku for the FI race, the Supreme Court, which is anything but independent, ordered the release of Khadija Ismayilova, an investigative journalist who had been detained in 2014, supposedly for tax evasion and other crimes, but in reality for writing about corruption.
[…]
Rebecca Vincent, a former United States diplomat in Baku who now works with Sport for Rights, a campaign group, says FI and its sponsors “should be ashamed to allow themselves to be used as a propaganda tool”.
[…]
Azerbaijan is desperate to be seen as part of the European family, despite being inconveniently located in the South Caucasus, to the east of its ethnic brethren in Turkey. Its FI race was branded the Grand Prix of Europe. That was “a bit cheeky”, chuckles Sir Martin.
[…]
At the European level, much of Azerbaijan’s effort has been directed – largely successfully – at the Council of Europe (COE), an organisation focused on promoting democracy, the rule of law and economic development across the continent. Controversially, Azerbaijan has been admitted as a member and was even chair of its committee of ministers during a particularly harsh crackdown on its domestic critics in 2014.
[…] PACE has often gone soft on Azerbaijan, toning down criticism of its human-rights violations and iffy elections. […] In June it emerged that prosecutors in Milan have accused Luca Volontè, an Italian politician, of accepting bribes of more than €2m from Azerbaijan while leader of a faction in PACE.
[…]
In America, the Azeris spoon out caviar diplomacy through their embassy, through SOCAR, the regime’s oil company, and, until recently at least, through the Azerbaijan America Alliance (AAA), an American version of TEAS. They also work with lobbying firms, including Podesta Group, co-founded by Tony and John Podesta. The latter was chief of staff to Bill Clinton and an adviser to Barack Obama, and now chairs Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign. […] “Is America really that cheap to buy?” asks the recently released investigative journalist Ismayilova.
Condivido con estremo piacere un articolo apparso sul sito Karabakh.it, di cui riporto un estratto, sulla politica denominata “al caviale” della diplomazia azera, fatta di regalie e finanziamenti occulti a personaggi politici ed influenti di tutto il mondo.
Il presidente dell’Assemblea Parlamentare del Consiglio d’Europa (PACE), il filo azero Agramunt, interrompe il discorso della delegata azera che ricorda il procedimento penale verso il deputato italiano Luca VolontèNessuno è colpevole fino alla condanna e certamente non vogliamo sottrarci a questo principio di garanzia. Pertanto non considereremo mai il deputato italiano Luca Volontè colpevole di aver percepito 2.400.000 euro dal regime dell’Azerbaigian come un procedimento penale avviato dalla Procura di Milano sta cercando di accertare in questi ultimi mesi.[…]Sarebbe il caso che la magistratura (non solo milanese) e la politica italiana provassero a esplorare il variegato mondo della ingerenza e della corruzione azera in Italia. Certo ci sono anche i “poveri idioti” che si fanno trascinare in qualche convegno, basta anche solo un viaggio o una cena pagata; ma per certi incalliti ammiratori di Aliyev e compagni il dubbio confina strettamente con la certezza.
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