Gudrat Hasanguliyev, chairman of the Justice, Law, Democracy (AHD) Party and a member of parliament, answered questions from the party’s press service.
Xalqcəbhəsi.az presents the interview:
– Gudrat bey, we would like to know your opinion on Azerbaijan’s rapprochement with the Central Asian republics…
– With the exception of Tajikistan, we share the same ancestral roots with the other Central Asian republics. We are an ethnos that shares the same language, culture, ethnic self-awareness and psyche, the same mentality, customs and traditions, and philosophy of statehood. It is not just our spiritual needs that dictate our unity. Our economic and security interests also require it. Together with the Central Asian republics, we are trying to revive the Great Silk Road, which connects China with Europe. Although it may seem unrealistic for today, I once voiced the idea that if a new “Union” were created in the Eurasian space, modeled after the European Union, with the participation of Turkey, Iran, and the former Soviet republics between China and the European Union, it would make a great contribution to strong competition, world peace, and development.
Azerbaijan also attaches great importance to cooperation with the West. The President’s visit to Germany before his visit to Kyrgyzstan and the signing of important documents that will pave the way for strengthening future cooperation, as well as the President’s visit to Washington, the first anniversary of which we will celebrate these days, are the practical application of the balanced foreign policy pursued by our country. To ensure the development of our country, we need Western investment and technology. Our cooperation with the West can also make a serious contribution to the building of a rule-of-law state and civil society in our country. Azerbaijan has the chance to become one of the strong states in the region. We are a strong ethnos; even though the states we built over time collapsed, we have been able to preserve our language, culture, and traditions, and restore our statehood. In difficult times, our people have managed to bring forth great historical figures. It is a great tragedy for a politician or a journalist to get stuck in the past. Historical figures remain in history through their deeds, not by what someone says about them. Unfortunately, many of us, without even understanding, try to discredit one another for various motives and shake the nation’s self-confidence. We are one of the 193 peoples out of 7,000 in the world who have managed to build their own state. We must not undermine our past, or the great sons of our people like Shah Ismail, Rasulzade, Elchibey, and Heydar Aliyev, for the sake of political expediency; everyone must believe that our people will overcome all difficulties over time.
– Gudrat bey, do you believe that the US will impose serious sanctions on Russia and that this will lead to peace?
– Trump will try to prevent this in various ways, as he has done before, as much as he can. The probability of the US imposing sanctions on Russia is not high. Putin, on the other hand, is not thinking about stopping the war. Because he cannot imagine the period after it. In a meeting with the military these days, he laughingly said, “What will we do after finishing the ‘special military operations’?” Peace will be possible when one of the parties accepts that it has been defeated.
– Will Armenia go to a referendum?
– If Russia really wants it, the referendum will take place. Russia played a major role in Pashinyan’s rise to power. It was Russia that did not allow Sargsyan to use force against the few demonstrators. The disgruntled people saw this and overthrew Sargsyan. Pashinyan consults with them on all serious issues. If Russia had wanted, the Zangezur corridor would have been opened long ago and a peace treaty would have been signed. Cargo transportation from Russia to Armenia via railway through Azerbaijan has been restored, and the current situation of neither war nor peace fully satisfies Russia. Therefore, we should not talk to Armenia for peace, but to Russia.
– Discussions have started in the press about a major amnesty; do you consider it possible?
– There is a serious need for this, especially for the amnesty of persons who are claimed to have been arrested on political grounds. This and the major reforms to be carried out would strengthen our national unity, reduce international pressure on our country, and pave the way for our country to enter a new stage of development…