Qüdrət Həsənquliyev, chairman of the Justice, Law, and Democracy (JLD) Party and Member of Parliament, shared his views during the discussion of the draft law on the approval of the “Protocol on Amendments to the Regulations on the Executive Committee of the Commonwealth of Independent States,” approved by the Protocol dated June 21, 2000, at today’s plenary session of the parliament.
The MP stated:
“When the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) was established in 1991 by three Slavic Republics – Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus – after the collapse of the USSR, a large part of other republics later joined the CIS. Azerbaijan also joined the CIS in 1993. At that time, when the late Heydar Aliyev accepted Azerbaijan as a member of this organization, it was not unequivocally welcomed by many, including myself. This was because there was a fear that it might negatively affect our sovereignty and independence in some way. But time showed that, may God rest his soul, Heydar Aliyev’s decision was a very wise and correct one.
Our entry into the CIS later had a positive impact on the state-building process, and Azerbaijan was able to embark on a path of peaceful development; we gained the opportunity to build an independent, strong state. Now we are amending this Protocol. There are points that are difficult for me to understand.
We know that this organization was created under the leadership of Russia. For example, what kind of unity are we talking about when Russia, on the one hand, speaks of closer integration and cooperation among CIS states, but on the other hand, a very unpleasant policy is pursued there against migrants? Migrants in Russia are subjected to insults by nationalist groups, their property is seized, and their funds are taken away by law enforcement agencies. But unfortunately, necessary measures are not taken at the state level to prevent this process.
Therefore, esteemed chairman, I believe that states are like people; sometimes, when they are given more value than they deserve, or when attention is paid to them, they do not always understand it correctly. That is why it is necessary to speak openly with Russia: do you truly want closer integration of these CIS states, as you claim? A problem has been created regarding the education of migrants’ children. Now, those going to Russia, as you know, must register on special internet portals 4 days in advance. Then, after their children reach a certain age, significant additional obstacles have been created regarding their residence there. All of these issues must be clarified. In other words, a hidden market spoils friendship. I myself have always been a supporter of close cooperation with Russia, and I still support closer cooperation within the CIS framework today. I believe there should be an opening in Azerbaijan. We should even establish a new Eurasian Union in the Eurasian space, including Turkey and Iran, and with the participation of CIS countries, to create a common market there, to obtain a business environment for our people, and for our country to develop more rapidly. But I believe that we must hold serious talks with Russia regarding these issues.”
Gudrat Hasanguliyev added:
“Just this morning, I read on the internet portal of the “Yeni Musavat” newspaper how an Azerbaijani migrant’s property is seized, how he is insulted, and so on. Our relevant state bodies must take certain steps regarding these issues. Now they are coming up with a Russian language requirement, claiming that people going there to work in construction must know Russian. On the other hand, we read in the press that Russia is attracting thousands of people from India and other countries to its labor market. Do those coming from India know Russian? Of course not. But regarding these issues, I believe that our relevant state bodies should work with Russia’s relevant state bodies, and this issue should be raised very seriously within the CIS framework. As I said, we should not take a passive stance. While I will vote for the draft law, I felt it my duty to share these concerns so that our relevant state bodies can draw conclusions from them.”