WORLD AZERBAIJANIS CONGRESS ELECTS A NEW LEADER

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 04 BAKU 000880 SIPDIS SIPDIS BERLIN FOR KPAETZOLD E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/09/2017 TAGS: PGOV PHUM PINR PREL KDEM IR AJ SUBJECT: WORLD AZERBAIJANIS CONGRESS ELECTS A NEW LEADER REF: A. BAKU 392 ¶B. 06 BAKU 1372 ¶C. BAKU 608 ¶D. 06 BAKU 1424 BAKU 00000880 001.2 OF 004 Classified By: Pol/Econ Chief Joan Polaschik for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d ). ¶1. (C) Summary: The World Azerbaijanis Congress (WAC) held its ninth international conference in Cologne, Germany July 6-8. With over two hundred participants representing Azeri communities in Europe, the Caucasus, and Central Asia in attendance, members exchanged ideas and discussed new strategies, adopted a new charter, and elected Professor Gulamriza Sabri-Tabrizi as its new chairman. The group quibbled briefly over finances, with some members arguing that the WAC's current accounts should be more than the USD 100,000 to 120,000 reported at the conference. While originally founded to represent the interests of Iran's Azeri population and support "South Azerbaijani" independence, the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and Pan-Turkic themes dominated the conference. The WAC appears to be split between "South Azerbaijanis" who advocate greater rights for Azeris in Iran, and "North Azerbaijanis" - including Government of Azerbaijan (GOAJ) officials - who seek to counter the influence of the Armenian lobby and bring attention to the unresolved Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. New chairman Tabrizi, with ties to both camps, could be in a position to mend fences. End Summary. The Conference and its Participants -------------- ¶2. (C) The World Azerbaijanis Congress held its ninth international conference in Cologne, Germany July 6-8. Founded in the U.S. in 1997, the WAC represents the interests of ethnic Azeris around the world and is one of the two most influential Azeri diaspora organizations in terms of size and influence (ref a). The purpose of the conference was to exchange ideas and discuss new strategies, adopt a new charter, and elect a new chairman. Over two hundred participants representing Azeri communities in Europe and the Former Soviet Union (FSU) attended. While the majority of conference participants traveled from Azerbaijan and Russia, most European countries with an Azeri population - such as Sweden, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, or Holland - also were represented. No representatives from the U.S. or Canada attended, nor did any Azeris still living in Iran. The GOAJ was represented by Nazim Ibrahimov, chairman of the State Committee on Work with Azerbaijanis Residing Abroad, and a representative of the Presidential Apparatus. Noted Azerbaijani politicians (and WAC members) Etibar Mammadov (ref b),Sabir Rustemxanli, and Dr. Hevva Memmedova also attended. Azerbaijani state television (AzTV) was the only media outlet to cover the conference. ¶3. (C) Opening the conference at a Cologne-area hotel, WAC Chairman Dr. Javad Derakhti led attendees in a somewhat disjointed rendition of the Azerbaijani national anthem, as many participants did not know the words. (Note: The map of "Azerbaijan" which was printed on the back of all conference programs showed "Azerbaijan" to include the present day Republic of Azerbaijan, the city of Derbent in Russian Dagestan, the Republic of Armenia, most of Iraq's Kurdish areas, all predominantly Azeri-populated provinces of northwestern Iran, and all predominantly Arab-populated portions of Iran extending to the Persian Gulf. End note.) Derakhti then gave a 45 minute speech highlighting major developments since the WAC's last international conference in Stockholm, Sweden in 2005. Beginning with an impassioned assault on "Persian chauvinism and atrocities" during the May 2006 ethnic Azeri protests, Derakhti highlighted repeated, foiled attempts to commemorate the birth of national hero Babek in the ninth century by marching to the Bazz fortress in northwestern Iran. (Note: Bazz fortress near Tabriz is of great significance to Azeri nationalists because Babek led the fight against the Arabian conquest in the ninth century from there. End note.) ¶4. (C) Derakhti also spoke about Armenia and the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, highlighting the 1992 Khojali massacre and the 1990 Soviet army massacre of Azerbaijani civilians in Baku. Noting his outreach efforts in Europe and North America, Derakhti also emphasized themes of Pan-Turkic BAKU 00000880 002.2 OF 004 brotherhood (not surprising given the WAC's support of the 2006 Antalya and 2007 Baku Pan-Turkic conferences). Derakhti called for European-based Azeris to lobby their respective governments on these issues, suggesting that Germany-based Azeris send "100,000 letters" to German Members of Parliament (MPs) to highlight the plight of ethnic Azeris in Iran and protest the visa refusals of WAC members who had tried to attend the conference. Derakhti called upon members to contribute funds to support publications and a new, independent satellite television station capable of reaching Azeris in Iran. ¶5. (C) Derakhti's speech was immediately followed by administrative business which included appointing a new election committee to oversee the selection of a new chairman, a discussion of the WAC's financial health, and an overview of the conference's two-day agenda. The WAC's treasurer reported that the organization's Euro-denominated account contained approximately 40,000 to 50,000 Euros and its USD-denominated account contained approximately USD 45,000 to 50,000. The treasurer also provided an overview of group and individual contributions received, reporting that the Azerbaijani government-sponsored "Khojali Committee" had contributed approximately 20,000 Euros, Turkish diplomatic missions in Germany had made contributions (precise amounts unspecified),and individual contributions ranging from approximately USD 500 to 3,000. A brief debate ensued at the end of the treasurer's report, with some members in the audience claiming that the USD-denominated account balance was far too low and that at least USD 100,000 should have remained. This discussion was tabled when the treasurer assured all gathered that he would be available to discuss the figures further, allowing the conference to proceed. The Issues -------------- ¶6. (C) While originally founded to represent the interests of Iran's Azeri population and support "South Azerbaijani" independence, other themes - the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and Pan-Turkism - dominated discussion at this year's WAC conference. On the first day, discussions centered on the situation in "South Azerbaijan" and the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict while the focus of the second day shifted to Pan-Turkic themes and the election of a new chairman. Azerbaijani MP Rustemxanli and Professor Gulamriza Sabri-Tabrizi (ref c) provided the most detailed and informative presentations on the situation of Azeris in "South Azerbaijan." Rustemxanli's presentation focused primarily on the Iranian government's renewed crackdown on ethnic Azeri activists such as Abbas Lisani, suggesting that the May 2006 ethnic Azeri protests had caught the regime off guard and that it had become more proactive in dealing with any activities it thought could contribute to similar protests. Rustemxanli implored members to become more active in their respective countries, singling out the U.S. and Canada as areas in which the WAC needed to become more active. ¶7. (C) Tabrizi provided an update on the situation of Azeri activists currently imprisoned by the Iranian government, suggesting that the WAC provide more concrete support to the Azeri cause by providing direct financial assistance to the families of those imprisoned. Tabrizi also called for the establishment of an independent satellite television station and urged Azeris in Iran to work together with other ethnic groups, arguing that cooperation with the Ahvazis, Lors, and Baluch might help to realize their aims. ¶8. (C) Stating "we stand ready to support you," Azerbaijani State Committee on Work with Azerbaijanis Abroad Chair Nazim Ibrahimov said that while it was the position of the GOAJ not to interfere in the internal affairs of Iran, "we want Azeris (in Iran) to know that we support them." After this brief mention of Azeris in Iran, Ibrahimov turned his attention almost exclusively to Armenian issues and Nagorno-Karabakh. Saying "we want a higher level of diaspora activity," Ibrahimov repeated Derakhti's call for members to launch a letter-writing campaign targeting German MPs, suggesting that they focus on the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh. In order to counter "Armenian terror and provocations," Ibrahimov suggested that the WAC "get closer" to Jewish organizations and Turkish diaspora groups. Concerning the alleged BAKU 00000880 003.2 OF 004 "widescale" visa refusals, Ibrahimov assured members that "we will take this up with the German Embassy in Baku." Azerbaijani politician Mammadov and the Presidential Apparatus representative reiterated these themes, with Mammadov saying "we must work together to solve problems." (Note: WAC reluctance towards cooperation is not limited to other ethnic groups; in a private conversation with Baku and Berlin Iran Watchers on July 6, Derakhti commented that the WAC was not interested in working with predominantly ethnic Persian external opposition groups, noting that such groups do not take Azeri grievances seriously. He also questioned several external opposition groups' commitment to democracy, noting their leaders' previous connections to Iranian government institutions. End note.) ¶9. (C) In his speech, Ejder Tagizade of Sweden suggested that the Kurds were enemies of the Azeri people and were "encroaching on historically Azeri territories" such as the Lake Orumiyeh region in northwestern Iran and the Iraqi city of Kirkuk. A heated debate ensued after one audience member retorting that "the Kurds are our brothers; we want freedom for us, but not for them?" Members of the audience and the panel argued these points for the next twenty minutes, with a clear rift emerging between those who were open to cooperation with other ethnic groups and those who were not. In the interest of time and adopting a new charter, the panel tabled the debate saying that it would be "discussed in committee." Results -------------- ¶10. (C) The results of the WAC conference were mixed. While a number of difficult political issues, such as possible cooperation with other ethnic groups in Iran, were tabled, the conference adopted measures to increase the WAC's effectiveness, including a new charter that clearly outlines the aims, responsibilities and procedures of the organization. An organizational council which appears to have duplicated the activities of the board of directors was abolished, and its responsibilities (related primarily to overseeing the organization's committees and other activities) were transferred to the board of directors. ¶11. (C) Professor Gulamriza Sabri-Tabrizi was elected to succeed Dr. Javad Derakhti as WAC Chairman on July 8. In a private discussion with Iran Watcher on July 7, Tabrizi said he was confident that he would be elected WAC Chairman, and suggested that he had the backing of numerous Russia-based Azeri businessmen. Assuring Iran Watcher that he would "provide the WAC with direction," Tabrizi said that his overriding concern was the situation of Azeris in Iran. Tabrizi indicated a willingness to reach out not only to other ethnic groups in Iran, but to other Azeri diaspora organizations (namely Mahmud Chohragani's South Azerbaijan National Awakening Movement or SANAM) as well. (In a subsequent July 11 interview with Baku's Trend News Agency, Tabrizi said that he would "negotiate" with Chohragani and that one of his key goals was "for all South Azerbaijanis to unite to fight for the rights of South Azerbaijan.") Tabrizi reiterated to Iran Watcher his previous calls for the U.S. to fund a new, independent satellite television station or support the ongoing efforts of GunAz Television (ref d). Comment -------------- ¶12. (C) The conference revealed significant splits among the WAC's membership, particularly over the organization's main purpose. Some members want the organization to become more active on behalf of Iran's ethnic Azeris, with one member lamenting to Iran Watcher privately that "we need to do more than just talk." Other members - including those Azerbaijani government officials who appear to provide political backing and possibly financial support to the WAC - prefer that the WAC take on the Armenian lobby by countering "Armenian propaganda," raising awareness of the unresolved Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, and using the Pan-Turkic cause to "rally the troops." The introduction of new proposals to cooperate with other ethnic groups in Iran appeared to further divide the group. New WAC Chairman Professor Gulamriza Sabri-Tabrizi could be in a position to mend fences among the groups. Born in Iran and part of the interim BAKU 00000880 004.2 OF 004 government following the overthrow of the Shah, Tabrizi also appears to be well-connected to the GOAJ as chairman of the Coordinating Committee of World Azerbaijanis. The conference also underscored the close ties between the GOAJ and the WAC, ties that we believe must be further explored as we consider WAC funding requests for its own independent satellite station or for GunAz Television, which is closely affiliated with both the WAC and GOAJ. ¶13. (U) Berlin-based Iran Watcher cleared this message. LU