Official to US: Azerbaijan "Proceeding on Its Own Path"

Six months ahead of Azerbaijan's presidential elections, American criticism of President Ilham Aliyev administration's political practices suggest that the normally strong relations between Washington and Baku have hit a speed bump. Some local analysts contend that the sharp exchanges are not that unusual during a campaign season, and have little significance for long-term relations.

The verbal spat started at the US Peace Corps 2008 Worldwide Country Director Conference on April 29, when US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice asserted that "there is important work to be done" in Azerbaijan and "to a certain extent Armenia" to bring the two Caucasus states "closer to standards that we thought they were once meeting." Rice termed the two countries' democratization progress to date "a disappointment." [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive].

The remarks were followed by a May 1 statement by US President George W. Bush that placed Azerbaijan in company with China, Cuba, Eritrea and Iran, in terms of Baku's harsh treatment of independent journalists. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive].

An influential senior Azerbaijani official characterized the US criticism as "at variance with the real situation in Azerbaijan and [is] not based on the truth."

"It appears that the public and political situation in Georgia and Armenia and all issues in general have been perfectly settled, and that Azerbaijan is a country that is lagging behind in the region," fumed presidential administration chief Ramiz Mehdiyev in remarks quoted on May 6 by the government-run Yeni Azerbaijan newspaper.

"[A]zerbaijan is proceeding on its own path," he continued. "Azerbaijan is developing under the leadership of Mr. President [Ilham Aliyev]."

The administration chief went on to target more than $3 million in US-funded election training for Azerbaijan's October 15 presidential vote. "As an Azerbaijani citizen, I assess this as interference in Azerbaijan's internal affairs. Is Azerbaijan or any other country allowed to finance someone in the USA, to interfere in elections or to monitor elections? Is this allowed in Britain? No. Then why should we have this in Azerbaijan?" Mehdiyev said.

In response, the US Embassy in Baku states that it is running programs via the local offices of American non-governmental organizations to help Azerbaijani political parties develop party platforms, to assist with broadcast election debates, to train judges and election officials to respond to claims of violations during the presidential vote. Support for an individual political party or candidate is not part of the assistance, embassy officials emphasize.

"Our programs are designed not to interfere with Azerbaijan's goal [of holding democratic elections]," asserted embassy spokesperson Jonathan Henick. "Our programs are designed to help Azerbaijan to achieve state commitments on democratic reforms and conduct free and fair elections in October."

The embassy's programs, Henick continued, were "prepared very closely" in conjunction with the Azerbaijani government, and are meant "to help fulfil Azerbaijan's commitments to the Council of Europe. "

What appears to sting the most for Azerbaijani officials is Secretary of State Rice's comparison of Azerbaijan with Georgia and Armenia – always a risky approach in a region whose member countries have little or no history of longstanding partnership. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Khazar Ibrahim dismissed Rice's remarks as indicative of "double standards." The impression left is that "in Washington they do not have a real picture of the region," Ibrahim said.

"Democracy in Azerbaijan is at least not worse than in Georgia, and comparison with Armenia is not possible at all," he said. "We do not shoot and kill demonstrators. We do not impose a state of emergency and we do not close down TV channels and other media outlets," Ibrahim stated in reference to recent events in Armenia [For background see the Eurasia archive] and Georgia. [For background see the Eurasia archive].

Not all analysts see the statements as a sign that relations are souring between Baku and Washington. "Elections are not the first priority in US-Azerbaijani relations," commented Rasim Musabeyov, an independent political analyst in Baku. "As the State Department announced, the strategic partnership between the two countries is based on security and energy.