AMBASSADOR DELIVERS DEMOCRACY MESSAGE IN

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 BAKU 001404

SIPDIS

C O R R E C T E D C O P Y (TEXT PARA 12)

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/26/2017
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM KDEM PBTS EAID AR AJ
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR DELIVERS DEMOCRACY MESSAGE IN
NAKHCHIVAN, AZERBAIJAN'S EXCLAVE

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Classified By: AMBASSADOR ANNE E. DERSE PER 1.4(B,D).


1. (SBU) SUMMARY: During a November 7 visit to the
Azerbaijani exclave of Nakhchivan, the Ambassador delivered a
strong message on the importance of democratic development to
Azerbaijan's future. She met with Nakhchivan Prime Minister
Alovsat Bakhshiyev, and visited several Nakhchivani
historical monuments and two universities. The Ambassador
delivered a speech on democracy, engaged in a question and
answer session with students, and gave a press interview.
She also met with Nakhchivan's political party branches and
representatives from the exclave's primary NGOs. Throughout
the day students, journalists, historians, and politicians
raised concerns with a recent photo exhibition at Harvard
University reported to portray many Nakhchivani monuments as
Armenian. Concerns raised with the Ambassador throughout the
day also reiterated the need for greater U.S. engagement in
Nakhchivan. END SUMMARY

MEETING WITH THE PRIME MINISTER
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2. (SBU) In the absence of Nakhchivan Parliament Chair Vasif
Talibov, who had been called unexpectedly to Baku to
participate in an event in honor of Turkish President Gul's
visit, the Ambassador met with Nakhchivan Prime Minister
Alovsat Bakhshiyev. In the meeting, the Ambassador outlined
the priorities in the bilateral relationship: energy,
security, and reform. She raised several human rights cases,
urging Bakhshiyev to ensure the Nakhchivani authorities
thoroughly investigate the alleged abuses and prosecute those
responsible. Emphasizing that the U.S. supports a strong,
sovereign Azerbaijan, the Ambassador explained that in the
U.S. view, to be strong, the state must have a strong mandate
and strong support from the population. She said that strong
democratic institutions will help Azerbaijan mitigate
regional pressure, but also help deepen relations with the
U.S. The Ambassador thanked Bakhshiyev for Azerbaijan's
contribution of troops in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Kosovo, and
noted that in turn, the U.S. is committed to helping
Azerbaijan with its security situation by finding a peaceful,
reasoned solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and with
its pursuit of NATO accession.


3. (C) Bakhshiyev noted that Azerbaijanis, particularly
Nakhchivanis, view Azerbaijan's relationship with the U.S. as
important. He said that Azerbaijanis are especially
interested in developing more people-to-people relationships
with Americans, through programs like student exchanges. The
relationship with the U.S. is beneficial to Azerbaijan,
Bakhshiyev continued, adding "We can't learn anything from
Russia and Iran; they would set us back." Bakhshiyev said
that sometimes Azerbaijanis become angry with the U.S.
because it applies a "double-standard" to Azerbaijan; "Even
though we're Muslim, we're civilized" he said. The
Ambassador responded that the U.S. deeply values its
relationship with the Muslim world, adding that Azerbaijan's
role as a secular, democratic Muslim country is particularly
important. Regarding the Ambassador's concern on the human
rights cases, Bakhshiyev said "We are all human; we make
mistakes. But we're taking steps to address these
violations."


4. (C) Referring to the U.S. role in the OSCE Minsk Group
process, Bakhshiyev said that Azerbaijan does not agree with
reaching a "mutually acceptable" solution, because he said
that would mean a solution that is acceptable to Russia, not
just Armenia. He said that the U.S. has done nothing while
Russia oppresses Georgia and sends its troops to the
Armenian-occupied portions of Azerbaijan. According to
Bakhshiyev, Azerbaijanis will "get along" with Armenians once
Russia is out of the picture. The stated U.S. position on
the conflict was too late, he continued, because the
territories were already occupied. "What are you so afraid
of," he asked, "are Russia and Armenia so important?"


5. (C) Noting that the U.S. believes there are reasonable
people in Iran, the Ambassador said that the U.S. remains
committed to finding a diplomatic solution to Iran's nuclear
programs. Bakhshiyev said bluntly that change in Iran's
nuclear policy would be impossible without a regime change.
Diplomatic channels, he said, would only work with a
democratic country. The Ambassador explained that the U.S.
has offered Iran a very attractive incentive package to stop
developing uranium, and noted that should it do so, Iran
would be free to develop a peaceful nuclear program. She
also referred to economic sanctions imposed against Iran,
which Bakhshiyev said would do no good.

MEETING WITH POLITICAL PARTY BRANCH LEADERS
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6. (SBU) The Ambassador met with regional branch leaders of
the political parties active in Azerbaijan. Participants
included Mahammad Rzayev of the Popular Front Party; Meydan
Babayev of Musavat Party; Faig Aliyev of the Hope Party; Vafa
Rahimov of the Citizens' Development Party; and Nuraddin
Bayramov of the Open Society Party. The Ambassador discussed
the five areas of democratic institution-building:
anti-corruption and rule of law; respect for human rights;
strong political processes, including electins, parliament,
and political parties; a free an independent media; and an
engaged, empowered, educated citizenry. Asking about their
party activities, the Ambassador solicited the group's
thoughts on Nakhchivan's political situation. She noted that
Nakhchivan can be a difficult operating environment, and
asked the group for suggestions on how the U.S. could be
better engaged in Nakhchivan.


7. (C) Meydan Babayev said that the visit of EUR A/S Fried to
Azerbaijan and recent Embassy statements are no different
than those in previous pre-elections periods, which he
believes were ineffective. To affect real change, he said
that the U.S. must translate these statements into actions,
which he viewed as direct support to the opposition.
According to Babayev, the U.S. has never supported the
Azerbaijani opposition, so, he asked, who would want
democracy? He said that Iran is taking advantage of the
situation, and that most Nakhchivanis have become opposed to
democracy. Nuraddin Bayramov said that being an
oppositionist in Nakhchivan takes the same amount of courage
as being a "national hero." He proposed the establishment of
a U.S. "representative office" in Nakhchivan where people can
seek help and revoke their Azerbaijani citizenship. Bayramov
noted concern that opposition members are not part of any
public body in Nakhchivan.


8. (C) Vafa Rahimov raised his concern with the current
economic situation in Nakhchivan, noting that the closure of
one of Nakhchivan's primary commercial centers and violation
of taxi drivers' rights, which affected 8,000 people, had
recently brought 2,000 people to the streets. He said that
Nakhchivanis are "tired of the dictatorship," which is
causing people to flee to neighboring Turkey and Iran.
Mahammad Rzayev said that cooperation between the U.S. and
Azerbaijan has not been as strong as he would like, but that
he is still hopeful. He noted that the Popular Front Party
is considering boycotting the 2008 presidential election
because of underlying problems, such as the media
environment. Faig Aliyev said that the Nakhchivani
authorities are using new tactics to crack down on dissent,
such as oppositionist Alasgar Ismayilov's forced commitment
to a mental institution. According to Aliyev, only the
international community can help normalize the situation. He
also said that the U.S. position on the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict is weak, noting that the U.S. has the money and
power to resolve the conflict if it wishes.

MEETING WITH NGO REPRESENTATIVES
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9. (C) The Ambassador met with representatives of
Nakhchivan's main NGOs. Participants included NGO
Development Center Head Malahat Nasibov; Young National
Democrats Head Ilgar Nasibov; and Healthy Future Head
Mahammad Rzayev. The Ambassador noted concern over several
recent human rights cases in Nakhchivan, and solicited the
group's thoughts on potential further U.S. engagement in the
exclave. Nasibova thanked the Ambassador for making the
trip, and noted that meeting the Ambassador would offer her
some protection for at least several months. She said that
Nakhchivan is currently facing problems with democratization
that Baku faced eight years ago. Nasibova described a
climate of intense pressure from the authorities, but also
outside pressure from Iran, and noted increased Iranian
influence in the exclave.


10. (C) Nasibova raised deep concern with a population flow
from Nakhchivan, and said that within a year of the opening
of the Turkish consulate, 59,000 Nakhchivanis -- out of a
reported population of 420,000 -- received tourist visas.
Nasibov believes that most of these individuals have not
returned, and noted that a substantial Nakhchivani community
now exists in Turkey. Nasibov briefed the Ambassador on his
work, noting his focus on encouraging youth to become active
in civil society. Rzayev explained that he works on raising
awareness on HIV/AIDS, which he said is becoming a growing
problem in Nakhchivan, because the exclave is used as a
transit point for migrant workers and others. He noted a
need for more USAID programs in Nakhchivan, particularly in
civil society development.


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CONCERN OVER HARVARD PHOTO EXHIBITION
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11. (SBU) In addition to her meetings, the Ambassador toured
several important Nakhchivani monuments, where local
historians explained their historical significance. She
visited Nakhchivan State University, where she stopped by the
American Bar Association's new Legal Clinic (funded by
USAID),and the Cisco Network Training Academy. The
Ambassador delivered a speech on democracy at Nakhchivan's
private Uzel University, and engaged in a question and answer
session with students. She participated in the official
opening ceremony of a PD-funded Regional Library Information
Center, where she gave remarks alongside the Nakhchivan
Minister of Culture and Tourism. At each stop,
well-rehearsed questions were posed -- often in English --
regarding a photo exhibit at Harvard University that
Azerbaijanis believe portrays thousands of Nakhchivani
monuments as Armenian. The Ambassador also fielded questions
on the U.S. position regarding the PKK in Iraq; the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and the four pertinent UN Security
Council resolutions; the attempted U.S. Congress draft
resolution characterizing the 1915 events in Turkey as
"genocide;" Iran's nuclear program; segregation in the U.S;
and the U.S. position on proposed changes to Azerbaijan's
electoral code.

COMMENT
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12. (C) Nakhchivan, which shares a 179 kilometer border with
Iran, is cut off from the rest of Azerbaijan by the Republic of
Armenia and a strip of Azerbaijani territory occupied by
Armenian separatists, resulting in a heightened perception
by local authorities that this perennial state of crisis requires a
firm hand. It has also served as a power base for the
governing elite, as former President Heydar Aliyev and
many of his close advisors had ethnic and historic roots in
the exclave. Democratic freedom in Nakhchivan lags
far behind that in Baku, making it difficult even for NGOs
engaged in social and health issues to carry out their
activities, let alone the opposition. Concerns
raised with the Ambassador during her trip underscored
Nakhchivanis interest in and the need for more regular
engagement in Nakhchivan, from the U.S. and the broader international
community. DERSE