BAKU, September 8. /TASS/. Azerbaijan’s President Ilkham Aliyev, whose country is a major oil and gas producer in the post-Soviet space, has shared his vision of the factors behind the latest surge in tension a number of former Soviet republics saw of late.
His comments came in a statement at a conference devoted to economic development issues and the drafting of next year’s state budget.
"The situation in the post-Soviet space is getting more acute. There have been bloody clashes at some places in the context of political and economic crisis and growing confrontation trends. Innocent people are suffering. Foreign intervention does play a certain role in this," Aliyev said.
The Azerbaijani leader said that Europe was facing a humanitarian disaster again for the first time ever since World War II, commenting on the migrant situation in the European Union.
"Those people have become refugees due to foreign interference. Hundreds of thousands are heading for Europe in search of asylum," Aliyev said, adding that some Western media were trying to put the responsibility on the refugees themselves.
"But these people are not to blame for anything. They are victims of a deliberate policy. They are victims of foreign intervention. They have no other way. They’ve got to protect their families and themselves. This is a humanitarian disaster above all," Aliyev said.
He is certain that in the current situation "life itself will show to what extent the European Union is committed to the values it professes."
"At this point all is clear. We are witnesses to people being tormented and their dignity humiliated," Aliyev said.
He suspects that what he described as "dirty scenarios" being implemented in the Middle East these days had been plotted for his country, too.
"In 2011 and in 2012 some foreign quarters were speculating about an equivalent of the Arab Spring in Azerbaijan. They argued it was inevitable. They went to great lengths with the aim to fan tensions here and to upset stability. Our law enforcement agencies quashed all this. Azerbaijan saw attempts at creating a ‘maidan-type movement’. Some wished to involve young people into this dirty affair thereby ruining their lives. Huge money was spent on destabilizing Azerbaijan. Tens of millions of dollars was seized. The money was to be smuggled into Azerbaijan via the local "fifth column", under the cover of non-governmental organizations, with the aim to foment tensions and bring to power certain people who are on the payroll of foreign quarters," Aliyev said.
Azerbaijan today is a modern, secular, developing, open and tolerant country, said its leader.
"We maintain relations based on mutual respect with all countries… Whom do we annoy?! Only those quarters which seek to dominate everywhere and to regard everybody else as their puppets. They don’t want to do business with worthy politicians who count on their people and enjoy the support of their people," Aliyev said.