Azerbaijan - Global Laundromat

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euobserver

Jan 18 2023

EU-spin campaign blows up in Azerbaijan's face

By ANDREW RETTMAN

A distinguished Australian scientist says he was duped into doing Azerbaijan propaganda, in a PR fiasco that sheds light on shady spin tactics in Brussels.

Professor Bill Laurance from James Cook University in Cairns told EUobserver that a London-based PR firm called BTP+Advisers tricked him into signing an inflammatory op-ed paid for by Azerbaijan's government.

BTP+Advisers then pitched it to EUobserver in Brussels and to the National Interest magazine in Washington, on grounds of ecological concern.

We rejected it, but National Interest was due to publish it when Laurance found out about Azerbaijan, pulled his signature, and publicly denounced the British PR firm.

"I asked if they [bTP+Advisers] had any vested financial interest in the matter and they told me they were working for the government of Azerbaijan," Laurance said by phone on Monday (16 January).

"It [the op-ed] won't go out, at least not in my name," Laurance said.

And he would never again work with BTP+Advisers, whom he now described as "radioactive", he added.

The proposed op-ed in question rehearsed Azeri propaganda that eco-protesters had blocked a mountain pass to stop pollution by Armenian mines.

"It takes real bravery to stand up for what is right ... these protestors deserve our support," it said.

But the full story is that Azerbaijan's state-endorsed blockade of the Lachin pass in the Nagorno-Karabakh region in Azerbaijan over the past month has cut off 120,000 ethnic Armenians living there, causing a humanitarian emergency.

The "inhumane siege" amounts to forced displacement, Armenian diplomats say.

The EU is also urging Azerbaijan to show mercy.

"Azerbaijan could take measures that are within its jurisdiction to ensure freedom and security of movement along the [Lachin] corridor," the EU foreign service told EUobserver. Baku's blockade was causing "significant distress" to local people, it added.

But the proposed op-ed didn't mention any of that, while depicting Azerbaijan, a draconian petro-dictatorship, as a haven for grass-roots eco-movements.

Azerbaijan president Ilham Aliyev has crushed genuine civil society at home.

His regime is also known by real environmental campaigners, such as Greenpeace, for pools of oil left floating on the sea, heaps of burning garbage in Baku, and undrinkable water.

But BTP+Advisers made it look as if Laurance, an eminently neutral "environmental scientist and campaigner who is distinguished research professor and Australian Laureate at James Cook University in Cairns", was independently weighing in on Aliyev's side.

It made it look like scientific truth had taken sides in an ugly ethnic conflict.

Brussels is no stranger to shady influence campaigns, one of which exploded into a global scandal in the Qatargate bribery affair in the EU Parliament last year.

Lobbyists routinely hire former EU officials or other VIPs to gain insider clout and PR firms seek out big names to speak for their clients in op-eds that were largely drafted by the PR company's own staff.

The tobacco industry first involved serious scientists in lobby campaigns in the 1960s, in tactics later copied by oil and pharmaceutical industries.

But for all that, it's highly unusual to try to make a real academic into an unwitting glove-puppet for a dictator.

And pro-transparency campaigners struggled to think of a precedent when asked by this website, making BTP+Advisers and Laurance a novel case.

In one parallel, high-profile scientists were tricked by a climate-change denying group called Creative Society into appearing in pro-denial online events last April, Greenpeace noted.

But science-washing typically involved dishonest scientists acting in bad faith, Greenpeace said, giving its investigation into US lobbying in 2015 as an example.

In an insight into PR modus operandi, Laurance said he had worked with BTP+Advisers on problem-free op-eds in the past.

He was never offered money, he said.

And BTP+Advisers had assured him they were acting out of genuine ecological concern and had privileged information about facts on the ground in Nagorno-Karabakh, the professor said.

Transparency

EUobserver has, in good faith, also published four op-eds sent by the firm over the past four years, in the name of people ranging from the prime minister of Montenegro to a New York rabbi.

We also once published a — clearly labelled — stakeholder piece by Azerbaijan's environment minister.

BTP+Advisers has offices in Belgrade, Kampala, London, Paris, and Washington.

There is no suggestion that it broke any laws or registration requirements.

Its CEO, Mark Pursey, also told EUobserver that it didn't mean to deceive anyone.

The Laurance imbroglio was a one-off human error, he said.

"We should have told professor Laurance up front that we work for the government of Azerbaijan", Pursey said. "You may not choose to believe me, but this was a genuine mistake," he said.

In all other cases, BTP+Advisers openly declared it worked for Azerbaijan, Pursey claimed.

But it didn't say so when it pitched the "Laurance" op-ed to EUobserver.

It doesn't mention Azerbaijan on its website or list it as a client in open-source lobbyist registries around the world.

And Pursey's comments to this website were his first public ones on his new Baku contract.

Pursey took the job in 2020 "because they [Azerbaijan] needed help when the war started," he told EUobserver, referring to Azerbaijan's reconquest of Nagorno-Karabakh from Armenians, which cost thousands of lives.

Meanwhile, Azerbaijan has, in recent years, already earned itself a bad name for dirty lobbying tricks, such as lavish trips and gifts for European politicians, in a practice dubbed "caviar diplomacy".

Its obfuscating answers to EUobserver's questions about BTP+Advisers also showed a less than transparent face.

"Azerbaijan does not pay any lobbyist companies in Brussels," Ramil Taghiyev, Azerbaijan's EU embassy spokesman, told EUobserver when asked if his government worked with the London spin doctors.

He implied our story was empty muck-raking in the wake of the Qatargate affair.

"It is clear that topics related to certain European institutions that are mired in corruption are popular now and your interest seems to emerge from this," Taghiyev said.

Azerbaijan's embassy in the UK didn't reply to questions.

Mess

"It's not great, I agree with you ... it's a mess", BTP+Advisers' Pursey said, referring to the optics of the Laurance incident for him and his client.

But for Armenians, there are bigger issues at stake.

"Historically, Azerbaijan's caviar diplomacy has wielded them favourable and imbalanced media coverage," Armenia's foreign ministry spokesman Vahan Hunanyan said.

"Regardless of the unlimited lobbying budgets deployed by Azerbaijan, it has become difficult for anyone to justify their ongoing violations of international humanitarian law," he added.

https://euobserver.com/world/156607

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Panorama

Armenia - Feb 23 2023

'Caviar Diplomacy': What is the price of Europe's silence on Azerbaijan's use of phosphorus weapons?

The Armenian version of the report "Caviar Diplomacy: How Azerbaijan Silenced the Council of Europe” can shed some light on the silence and indifference of international organizations in the wake of Azerbaijan’s months-long blockade of the Lachin Corridor, the sole road linking Artsakh to Armenia.

On February 19, the birthday of prominent Armenian writer Hovhannes Tumanyan, which is also celebrated as Book Giving Day in Armenia, the presentation of the report translated into Armenian by journalist Siranuysh Muradyan, who has covered the Council of Europe activities for many years, and published by the Newmag Publishing House was held in Yerevan.

The book's cover features former President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) Pedro Agramunt, former Chairman of the European People's Party Group in PACE Luca Volontè and German MEPs Karin Strenz and Axel Fischer, who were deprived of their parliamentary immunity, under the gaze of dictator Ilham Aliyev.

Experts of the think tank European Stability Initiative (ESI) identified European officials involved in the "caviar diplomacy": they received bribes from Azerbaijan to lobby for the country, remain silent or defend Baku's interests. ESI revealed the facts in two reports for 2011-2012 and for 2016-2017. The report was followed by the resignation of Pedro Agramunt as PACE president. Azerbaijan has not been held to account for its corrupt activity to date.

Siranuysh Muradyan began translating the 156-page report back during the 2020 war in Artsakh.

"I want the Armenian readership to know about Baku’s disgraceful activity. I want the people to know the price of Europe's silence on the use of phosphorus munitions during the war, the use of weapons banned by the European Convention or the bombing of a maternity hospital in Artsakh," she said.

Despite the ongoing prosecutions in Germany following the corruption revelations and Italy’s conviction of former MEP Luca Volontè, who received a €2.5 million bribe from two officials from Azerbaijan, Muradyan is unhappy with the response of law enforcement agencies in the PACE member states to the scandalous revelations.

"This research has to bring some consequences. For more than a decade, the names and photos of the corrupt persons have been disclosed in the reports, however the results are totally unpleasing. Several investigations have caused a stir in the Bundestag now. There is also the 4-year prison sentence handed down to Luca Volontè in Italy. But the tentacles of Baku’s corruption scandal are everywhere. Therefore, European and German law enforcement authorities should thoroughly investigate whether Otto Hauser, Alexander Funk, Kay Wegner, Daniela Ludwig, Markus Held and others were also involved in the scandal," Muradyan stated.

The journalist-translator stresses if a PACE delegate is involved in a corruption scandal, it means the whole Parliamentary Assembly is also involved in it, as PACE is committed to imposing sanctions for violations of the European Convention. Meanwhile, Azerbaijan continues blocking the Lachin Corridor and creating a humanitarian crisis in Artsakh amid the salience of the world community, while PACE claims to promote human rights, rule of law and democracy.

"Which of these principles is now respected in the Berdzor Corridor? The European Stability Initiative experts, too, constantly talk about the weak response following their revelations, there are many persons who must face prosecution,” Muradyan told Panorama.am, stressing that new facts have been added to those presented in the report over the recent years, the PACE Anti-Corruption Body has released a 200-page report which reveals the disgraceful picture in the Council of Europe.

"We normally link the caviar diplomacy to Azerbaijani corruption. But we should remember that it is not one-sided, it is also about European and Western corruption. To-be diplomats should be well aware that when representing the interests of their country they may meet with people who have personal interests," said political analyst Tevan Poghosyan, speaking about the importance of translating the report and stressing the need to work with the right institutions.

Former MP Naira Karapetyan, who has worked at PACE for many years, stressed that she was a witness to the published book and saw the developments following the backstage agreements.

"PACE has now forgotten everything that got flesh and blood in 2017, when these revelations resulted in stricter rules of conduct for parliamentarian, including declaration of assets, monetary limits on gifts. It was supposed to restrain Azerbaijan a bit, but amid the game of world powers, Azerbaijan stood with Ukraine and got the green light and the support of many, becoming a direct fuel partner of Europe," Karapetyan said, urging the Armenian delegation to make intense efforts to disclose Azerbaijan’s actions to PACE.

Artsakh’s Foreign Minister Sergey Ghazaryan strongly believes that even now the Azerbaijani leadership spares no effort to “buy” the support of the Council of Europe and to silence critics of Azerbaijan's human rights violations and poor state of democracy.

Ghazaryan also underscored in his speech at the book presentation that during the 44-day war and after it the international structures continued turning a blind eye to the crimes committed by Azerbaijan against the Armenian people, which has resulted in Azerbaijan’s brazen conduct to the extent that the Azerbaijani troops are now stationed on Armenia’s sovereign territory and Baku has been keeping Artsakh and its 120,000 people under siege for over two months amid the inaction of the institutions claiming to defend universal human rights.

The top photo is from the page of the American University of Armenia.

https://www.panorama.am/en/news/2023/02/22/Caviar-Diplomacy-Azerbaijan/2798054

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Armenpress.am

Azerbaijan continues notorious Caviar Diplomacy for bribing European officials, but more cautiously – warns expert

15:32, 18 July 2023

YEREVAN, JULY 18, ARMENPRESS. The Azerbaijani government has been bribing European lawmakers in an attempt to conceal its poor human rights record.

Azerbaijan's infamous “Caviar Diplomacy” of systematic bribing to downplay its human rights record has led to investigations and convictions.

The European Parliament adopted a resolution on July 13 on recommendations for reform of the European Parliament’s rules on transparency, integrity, accountability and anti-corruption.

The resolution mentions violations by various countries and organizations, including the Azerbaijani government’s actions.

“…whereas Azerbaijan has conducted large-scale influence operations, involving strong suspicions of corruption, against members of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe; whereas Azerbaijan has managed to avert probes into its elections and whitewash its human rights record,” reads clause T of the resolution.

Speaking to ARMENPRESS, expert on Azerbaijan, former MP and former Armenian delegate to PACE Tatev Hayrapetyan warned that Azerbaijan will continue its practices of bribing European officials, but more cautiously.

“The scandalous reports prove that Azerbaijan’s actions in PACE involve a broad network and that the head of the Azerbaijani delegation Samad Seyidov is directly involved in criminal activity. When we were going to Strasbourg the Azerbaijanis were already acting very cautiously. Nonetheless, the facts remain and Seyidov continues to lead the Azerbaijani delegation,” Hayrapetyan told ARMENPRESS.

With the scandalous ousting of Pedro Agramunt as President of PACE in 2017 not stopping the practices of the Aliyev regime, the Caviar Diplomacy continues to this day, the expert on Azerbaijan warned.

Agramunt and many other officials served at PACE for a long time and their partiality contributed to pro-Azeri wordings which did not reflect the situation neither on Azeri domestic developments not around the Nagorno Karabakh conflict. Eventually all packages are collected and Baku makes a tool out of it. The facts are disclosed, perpetrators are prosecuted, but the huge damage remains, she said.

“Azerbaijan isn’t criticized for its numerous political prisoners and human rights violations, whereas European countries get lambasted for the same occurrences. Turns out there are good and bad despots for Europe, with Aliyev being the so-called acceptable despot in this case, which in turn unleashes him even more in our region. Moreover, the Azerbaijanis show that the PACE resolutions mean nothing to them, they disregard the organizations where they themselves have membership. Should these organizations display principled approach, they would have considered ousting or suspending Azerbaijan, forcing Azerbaijan to respect the European resolutions,” Hayrapetyan said.

If the briber remains unpunished and those involved in scandals remain in office, then we are dealing with a unilateral punishment, when only those who are bribed are being punished. But this doesn’t mean that the bribers will stop, the expert said.

She warned that the Azerbaijanis will act more cautiously to try to find alternative sources.

On one hand the fact of bribery exists, but on the other hand the representatives of the democratic Europe travel to Baku to shake President Aliyev’s hand and describe him as a “reliable partner” in the context of diversifying gas supplies, whereas this is in parallel with the “gas bluff” topic, which to some extent impacts the EU policy in South Caucasus.

But facts show that Azerbaijan doesn’t even have the required gas reserves to supply the necessary volumes to entire Europe. Azerbaijan itself is buying gas from Iran, Turkmenistan, Russia, and is often re-selling Russian gas. Hayrapetyan said that this major deal involves the Europeans thinking that they are diversifying Russian gas by using Azeri gas, but are actually using Russian energy carrier, which is supplied via Azeri pipelines.

“It’s absurd that Europe is sanctioning Russia but is supporting the aggressor, dictatorial Azerbaijan in South Caucasus, showing that Azerbaijan is its partner in our region. EU has always had reforms agendas with Armenia and Georgia, and an energy cooperation agenda with Azerbaijan, whereas reforms have no effect in case of Azerbaijan,” the expert said.

Manvel Margaryan

 

 

https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1115677.html?fbclid=IwAR3S5pakWm4ex9PoreXz7QO866QVaagWWtyLP88YHIwh3oAUCTHYBj3Rz8U

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Cherwell.org

Oxford University Student Newspaper

Oct 16 2023

Oxford centre with mystery £10M donor and family links to autocratic ruler silent on regime’s imprisonment of LSE academic

BySuzanne Antelme

16th October 2023

The Oxford Nizami Ganjavi Centre (ONGC) is funded by an anonymous £10 million donation and has on its board the sister-in-law of President Aliyev, Azerbaijan’s autocratic ruler. The makeup of the centre’s board and the University’s refusal to identify the donor have drawn criticism from academics concerned about the preservation of academic freedom.

This comes amidst the ongoing imprisonment of Dr Gubad Ibadoghlu, an LSE academic and government critic arrested in Azerbaijan this summer on charges condemned as false and politically motivated.

Neither the University nor the centre have reacted to Dr Gubad’s predicament. His family are calling for this silence to be broken.

The centre

According to its website, the Oxford Nizami Ganjavi Centre was established in 2019 to study the “history, languages and cultures of Azerbaijan, the Caucasus and Central Asia”. The centre offers visiting fellowships and funding for graduate students, and supports Azerbaijani language instruction at Oxford. It is funded by an anonymous £10 million endowment “given in recognition of the British Foundation for the Study of Azerbaijan and the Caucasus [bFSAC] in 2018”.

On the centre’s board sits Nargiz *****yeva, the sister-in-law of President Ilham Aliyev, the autocratic ruler of Azerbaijan. Her sister, Mehriban Aliyeva, is Azerbaijan’s First Lady and first ever ‘Vice President’, the second highest constitutional office in the country to which her husband appointed her immediately after creating it in 2017.

Freedom House characterises Azerbaijan as an authoritarian regime, with power “heavily concentrated in the hands of Ilham Aliyev … and his extended family. Corruption is rampant, and the formal political opposition has been weakened by years of persecution.”

Dr Tena Prelec, Assistant Professor at the University of Rijeka and a former Research Fellow at Oxford’s Department of Politics and International Relations, told Cherwell: “[*****yeva’s] connections with the Azerbaijani ruling elite could not be stronger. It has been proven that hundreds of millions of pounds linked to the Azerbaijani elite have been laundered through UK real estate (the Azerbaijani Laundromat); while attempts by Azerbaijan to influence political decisions through bribery have also been established beyond doubt (the so-called ‘caviar diplomacy’ scandal at the Council of Europe). For those reasons alone, *****yeva’s involvement in an Oxford research centre warrants particular care and attention.”

In addition to being on the ONGC’s board, Nargiz *****yeva played a key role in setting up the centre. She is credited with establishing collaboration with the University back in 2014 in the form of the ‘Nizami Ganjavi Programme’, a five-year research programme worth £1 million with similar research aims. She also “facilitated” the creation of the ONGC itself in her role as chair of the British Foundation for the Study of Azerbaijan and the Caucasus (BFSAC).

Given its focus on cultural studies, the centre appears non-political. However, in a letter to the Foreign Secretary in 2020 urging the UK to take a more pro-Azerbaijan approach regarding conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia, Lord Malcolm Bruce described the ONGC as an “important symbol of inclusiveness promoted by Azerbaijan today”. Lord Bruce is a member of the UK House of Lords and was also the British co-founder of BFSAC, the charity chaired by *****yeva and recognized by the ONGC’s mystery £10 million donor. BFSAC closed down in October 2022.

Lord Bruce told Cherwell he “supported the establishment of the [ONGC] as a non-political, academic and cultural centre for promoting interest in the Caucasus and central Asian region”, noting that “the donation enabling the foundation of the centre was subject to and approved through Oxford University due diligence”.

Regarding the contents of his 2020 letter, he pointed to UN criticism of Armenia’s actions at the time and emphasised that his “only interest was and remains in securing a long-term settlement and improvement in Azerbaijan-Armenia relations”, adding that he has “been critical of the regime in Azerbaijan and the lack of free and fair elections”.

Lord Bruce was formerly the Council of Europe’s Rapporteur for Political Prisoners from 2003-2005, and is noted in ESI’s ‘Caviar Diplomacy’ report as having taken a relatively critical stance towards the Azerbaijani regime.

The funding

When asked about the identity of the anonymous donor, Oxford University told Cherwell: “The University will not disclose the name of the donor; the terms of the gift are such that the donor wanted to be anonymous, and the University is respecting that agreement.

“All major prospective donors are carefully considered by the University’s Committee to Review Donations and Research Funding under the University’s guidelines for acceptance. The committee, which includes independent, external representatives, has robust and rigorous guidelines regarding the acceptance of donations and research funding.”

A University spokesperson previously told Times Higher Education that the donation “does not come from a government”.

When Cherwell prompted the University to clarify what scope is given to the term ‘government’ in this statement, the University re-emphasised the expertise of its donations review committee, adding that the committee “was made aware of the donor of this gift, who was considered and approved through our usual due diligence process”.

Dr. Prelec emphasised to Cherwell that “it is not enough for the public to know that the donor was not a governmental entity. In many countries … much of the political economy rests on an exchange of favours between businesspeople and the rulers.

“In order to be able to conduct business and prosper, individuals hoping to do business in or with Azerbaijan often donate hefty sums to philanthropic activities that are used to enhance Azerbaijan’s image in the world. Alex Dukalskis has called this money-fuelled burnishing of a country’s reputation ‘authoritarian image management’.”

In an Azernews article from early 2017, *****yeva is quoted saying she “would like to thank Mr Iskandar Khalilov for his first financial support of the Oxford Nizami Ganjavi Centre”.

Iskandar Khalilov (name sometimes spelt as Iskander or Iskender) is an Azerbaijani businessman. He is the founder of ISR Holdings, which describes itself as “one of the largest [structures] in the private sector of Azerbaijan”. He also appears to have been on the board of directors for Russian state oil company Slavneft, and according to Azerbaijani state media has been Vice President for Russian multinational energy corporation LUKOIL Oil Company. In 2016, Khalilov was amongst those awarded by the Azerbaijani President for services to the development of the Azerbaijani diaspora.

When asked to clarify what financial contribution from Khalilov was being referred to, the University declined to comment further. This reply came in a new email thread with ‘confidential’ added to the subject line in all caps.

In response to Cherwell’s Freedom of Information request asking for details on any donations received by Khalilov, the University would neither confirm nor deny whether it held this information. The University argued that exemptions protecting personal data and commercial interest applied, and said it “would not be appropriate for the University to provide information which could lead to donors … being identified by a process of elimination”.

Dr John Heathershaw, Professor of International Relations at Exeter University and founding member of the Academic Freedom and Internationalisation Working Group, told Cherwell: “It was a serious error of judgement by Oxford’s gift committee to agree to an anonymous £10 million donation … In the US it would have been illegal to accept such a high donation anonymously and in the UK it is certainly unethical.

“While confidentiality in small donations is reasonable, it is never admissible in large donations, especially with respect to regions and topics where there are credible risks of reputation laundering and authoritarian influencing.”

The silence

Neither the University nor the ONGC have responded to the arrest and ongoing detention of Dr Gubad Ibadoghlu, a UK-based Azerbaijani academic, democracy advocate and regime critic.

Dr Gubad, a Senior Visiting Fellow at LSE, was arrested in late July while visiting family in Baku. He was charged initially with selling counterfeit money and then with distributing religious extremist materials. Human Rights Watch has dismissed these charges as “false” and “politically motivated”, and demands his immediate release. Dr Gubad is reportedly being denied medical attention in prison and his family have expressed concern about the impact on his health.

Tomila Lankina, LSE Professor of International Relations, has been working closely with the campaign to secure Dr Gubad’s release. Speaking to Cherwell, she questioned the ONGC’s silence on the matter: “The question is, where is their voice? I would have thought a centre at one of the most prestigious institutions would have done something by now, because they have much better connections than everyone else…

“If they have someone close to the regime [*****yeva], one would think they would use those channels to secure the release of a man who’s health conditions have deteriorated since imprisonment and on whose behalf there has been a huge campaign.”

Lankina said she found the anonymity of the ONGC’s donor combined with the identity of its board members “deeply troubling”.

Zhala Bayramova, Dr Gubad’s daughter, told Cherwell regarding the ONGC’s silence that “at the very least” she would like to see a statement from the centre and the University expressing their concern.

She added, “If they cannot even muster a Twitter statement, which is a minimal gesture of endorsement and support without significant binding power, it raises serious doubts about their commitment, especially when they are meant to be guardians of scholars.”

Regarding the anonymous funding, Zhala emphasised that “it is imperative for universities to prioritise transparency”, as anonymity can “obscure the nature of donations and their impact on university policies and decision-making processes”.

Similarly, Dr Heathershaw noted that “given Oxford’s secrecy [about the donor], it is not appropriate for the sister-in-law of the President of Azerbaijan to sit on the board of ONGC…. While there is little doubt that any direct attempts to limit academic freedom would be challenged by other members of the [ONGC] board, we know that research activities are influenced in more subtle ways including who is likely to apply to fellowship positions and what they propose if there is a perception of preference to a particular regime.”

The University told Cherwell: “The [ONGC’s] Board comprises seven members, five of whom are Oxford University academics and two of whom were nominated by [bFSAC]. Each member serves a three-year term which is extendable for one further term, and the Board reports to the University’s Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies….

“All research projects and researchers at Oxford University have absolute freedom of academic enquiry without influence from donors or donations. The [ONGC] follows these principles and academic decisions about their research agenda and outputs are made entirely independently of the Board, donors or any political interests in Azerbaijan.”

Emin Bayramli, one of Dr Gubad’s sons, expressed concern that the ONGC, as a space the Azerbaijani community in Oxford is likely to rely on, is not fit for purpose: “It’s essential for individuals living abroad, many of whom have relocated … to have impartial and secure spaces… As someone living in exile, I would not feel secure seeking support from a centre [whose board] is closely related to a dictator”.

Adding that “t is crucial for institutions to demonstrate their commitment to academic freedom and the protection of scholars, and issuing a statement is a minimal but necessary step in that direction”, Emin called for the ONGC and the University to do so.

The ONGC and Nargiz *****yeva have been approached for comment. Cherwell has also tried to reach Iskandar Khalilov through ISR Holdings.

https://cherwell.org/2023/10/16/oxford-centre-mystery-10m-donor-family-links-to-autocratic-ruler-silent-on-imprisonment-lse-academic/

[Yervant1]

German Television Exposes Azerbaijan’s

Massive Bribery of European Officials

By Harut Sassounian

TheCaliforniaCourier.com

This is not the first time that autocratic Azerbaijan has come under scrutiny for handing out billions of dollars in bribes to Western officials to ignore its massive violations of the human rights of its own population and Artsakh Armenians.

The term ‘Caviar diplomacy’ was coined to describe specifically the corrupt practices of Azerbaijan in European institutions. Regrettably, some equally corrupt European officials were happy to pocket the millions of dollars offered to them by Azerbaijan.

“Bringing this intricate web of influence and manipulation to light is a groundbreaking film by German broadcaster ARD, ‘Am Abgrund’ (on the precipice). Though the film is fiction, it is based on a series of investigations dubbed ‘Azerbaijani Laundromat,’ exposing how the Azerbaijani government bribed the Council of Europe politicians. The investigations published in 2017 discovered how the government of Azerbaijan was the driving force behind a $2.9 billion secret slush fund that may have helped it pay off European politicians,” Lamiya Adilgizi wrote on the globalvoices.org website.

“Baku has cleverly navigated the corridors of power in Europe, winning over politicians with a mix of luxurious trips and direct cash payments. The aim? To ensure these influential voices speak up for Azerbaijan's interests, particularly within the halls of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) and even Germany's own Bundestag,” wrote Adilgizi.

The film, directed by investigative reporter Daniel Harrich, premiered at an event organized by the German Parliament on February 20. A follow-up documentary is planned to further reveal Azerbaijan’s corrupt lobbying efforts in Europe.

The film exposes both the bribe-giving Azeris and bribe-taking European officials. “At the heart of this tale is both Azerbaijan, a country rich in energy resources and scrutinized over its ruling government’s authoritarian practices, but also European countries, known as champions of democracy, rule of law, and human rights, who have long been mentors to the emerging nations from the Soviet era. But here's the twist -- instead of spreading these cherished values, it seems they, too, are vulnerable to corruption….”

The movie starts with Azerbaijan’s efforts to silence its domestic opponents who are thrown in jail for bravely exposing the regime’s human rights violations. It features “dramatic scenes that replicate footage from hidden cameras planted in the bedroom of renowned journalist Khadija Ismayilova in 2012, exposing her private life. Ismayilova penned a series of investigations into government corruption linked to the ruling family of Aliyevs. The leaked footage aimed to tarnish the journalist’s reputation. Ismayilova was later jailed on bogus charges and spent two years behind bars as a result.”

The film follows “Gerd Meineke, a fictional member of the German Bundestag who also serves in the Council of Europe. Meineke discovers that the latter institution created back in 1949 to foster democracy and the rule of law has been compromised and that German Members of Parliament have been swayed by Azerbaijan's regime, trading their votes in the Council of Europe for money, gold, prostitutes, and other bribes, betraying the principles of democracy and human rights.”

Meineke’s attempt to pass a resolution condemning Azerbaijan for its numerous political prisoners is defeated by other members after receiving bribes from Azerbaijan.

During the discussion following the screening of the film, director Harrich said: “The issue extended beyond the government of Azerbaijan and implicated Western politicians and societies in the corrupt practices fueled by Azerbaijan's natural resources. Among the guests to the screening was the German Member of Parliament Frank Schwabe who has recently become known for his loud criticism of the Azerbaijani government. It was Schwabe who challenged the credentials of the Azerbaijani delegation at the PACE during the Assembly’s opening winter session in January 2024.”

Schwab told Global Voices that his attempt to tell the truth about Azerbaijan “aligns with the mission of the Council of Europe. If a member of this organization doesn't respect its principles, then action is necessary.” After boycotting Russian gas due to the war in Ukraine, Europe started buying gas from Azerbaijan which is partly imported from Russia. However, “it's crucial that we don't overlook human rights violations for the sake of trade relationships,” Schwab said.

After PACE’s refusal to ratify the credentials of Azerbaijan’s delegation in January 2024, “‘the timing [for the film’s launch] couldn't be better,’ said Gerald Knaus, the chairman of the European Stability Initiative, a think tank, and a vocal critic of the Azerbaijani government, in an interview with Global Voices. His think tank coined the term ‘caviar diplomacy’ in 2012 and was the first to document Azerbaijan’s influence at the Council of Europe.”

Knaus warned of the possible expulsion of Azerbaijan from the Council of Europe if it does not release its political prisoners by April 2024, the 75th anniversary of the Council of Europe.

There are over 200 political prisoners in Azerbaijan.

[Yervant1]

Donations Tilt Vatican

In Favor of Azerbaijan

By Harut Sassounian

TheCaliforniaCourier.com

In a lengthy article published in the Irpmedia.irpi.eu in Italian on March 27, 2024, titled, “How Vatican helped legitimize the Aliyev autocracy in Azerbaijan,” Simone Zoppellaro exposes Vatican’s pro-Azerbaijan tilt due to financial donations, despite Armenia being a Christian nation, while Azerbaijan is Islamic.

On Feb. 22, 2020, the autocratic leader of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, and his wife, Mehriban Aliyeva, the country’s Vice President, paid a state visit to the Vatican. They were received officially by Pope Francis, Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin, and Secretary for Relations with States Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher. Mrs. Aliyeva was at the Vatican to receive the highest honor awarded to a lay person by the Holy See: “The Grand Cross.” The award is proposed by the Diocesan Bishops “as a sign of appreciation and gratitude for services to the Church or to society reserved for Heads of State, ministers, ambassadors, and royalty.” However, the driving force behind Vatican’s interest in Azerbaijan is the financial support provided by the Heydar Aliyev Foundation.

Ironically, despite Azerbaijan’s intolerance of minorities, dissidents and other religions, the Holy See expressed its appreciation to “Azerbaijan's openness and peaceful attitude towards different faiths.”

Fearing the loss of Azerbaijan’s donations, the Vatican has been reluctant to allow any criticism of Baku, particularly by its own clergy. “Father Georges-Henri Russyen was expelled from the Pontifical Oriental Institute because he was critical of those who did not want to use the formula ‘Armenian genocide.’”

Given the expectations of benefiting from Azerbaijan’s “Caviar Diplomacy,” the Vatican has not been willing to say anything more substantial than emphasizing “the importance of intercultural and inter-religious dialog in favor of peaceful coexistence among different religious and ethnic groups,” meaning Armenians and Azeris. The Pope prayed for the inhabitants of Karabakh, hoping “that the talks between the parties, with the support of the international community, will foster a lasting agreement that will end the humanitarian crisis,” Even during the 2020 War, “the Church was unable of going beyond generic appeals for moderation ‘to all the parties involved and to the international community’ to ‘lay down their weapons.’”

On October 24, 2023, Prime Minister Nikol Pahinyan received from the Apostolic Nuncio José Avelino Bettencourt the same award given three years earlier to Aliyeva, Azerbaijan’s Vice President. However, there was a major difference. While Aliyeva received her award directly from the Pope, Pashinyan was honored by an Apostolic Nuncio. There were also other differences which “helped consolidate the power of the Aliyev family, despite human rights violations in Artsakh.”

“Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi, honorary president emeritus of the Pontifical Council for Culture and chairman of the Pontifical Commission for Sacred Archaeology, is the highest Vatican official who has made the most efforts to open a dialog with Azerbaijan.” He was awarded the Order of Friendship in 2013 by the Azerbaijani authorities -- a high honor offered for a “special contribution to the development of friendly, economic and cultural relations between Azerbaijan and a foreign state.”

Cardinal Claudio Gugerotti is considered “the protagonist of the privileged channel” established between the Vatican and Baku. “Highly educated and polyglot, ambitious and lover of power, Cardinal Gugerotti has known the Aliyev family since 2002, when Pres. Heydar Aliyev, in power since 1969, was still alive.”

“In the early 2000s, Gugerotti met with the Azerbaijani authorities as Nuncio for the Southern Caucasus, a position he assumed in 2001. Before then this nunciature for the Holy See included only Georgia and Armenia. Those were the years in which Russia guaranteed a ceasefire in the region, after Armenia had defeated Azerbaijan in the first conflict. The ethnic hatred that is still fuel for the conflict was beginning to settle, but Nuncio Gugerotti called Azerbaijan a ‘country [that] is a symbol of peaceful coexistence between people of different religions.’”

“Ten years after he began his mission as Apostolic Nuncio in 2011, Gugerotti signed the historic agreement which, for the first time, regulated relations between Baku and the Catholic Church. At the time of ratification, recalls a 2019 book produced by the Foundation for the Promotion of Moral Values from Baku entitled ‘Christianity in Azerbaijan,’ Gugerotti expressed gratitude to the (Azeri) government for creating the conditions that made possible [the agreement], emphasizing that our country always remained committed to the principles of tolerance, and noting that the agreement was the first document of its kind, because the Vatican had never signed such an agreement with any state before.”

According to Gugerotti, “Azerbaijan has once again demonstrated its tolerance. Now the whole world is witnessing it. I am sure that this document will receive a positive response in the international world and will be remembered as a great historical event. The reaction of the press from day one proves us right. On behalf of the Holy Throne and the Crown, I extend my deep thanks for all this to President Ilham Aliyev and the Government of Azerbaijan.”

Since 2009, the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, headed by Mehriban Aliyeva, has funded various activities in the Vatican: restoration projects, exhibitions and concerts. Other projects funded by Azerbaijan included: the Roman catacombs, the Vatican Museums, the Vatican Apostolic Library, and Catholic churches in France and Azerbaijan. These donations amount to one million euros.

In 2013, Gugerotti received the Movses Khorenatsi Medal -- the highest Armenian honor -- from the then president Serzh Sargsyan for his important contribution to Armenian studies, but also the effort aimed at strengthening relations between Yerevan and the Holy See.

The author of the article concluded that the close relationship between the Vatican and Azerbaijan has had the effect, perhaps unintended, of strengthening the hegemonic role of the Azeri autocracy… which may contribute to a diplomatic normalization that would put in the background, or erase, crimes and aggressions committed by the Azeri autocracy.

[Yervant1]

ArmenianWeekly.com

Ending the strange silence of Congress on the Cuellar/Azerbaijan scandal

May 21, 2024 Ani Frankian Vernor Op-Eds 0

In a political landscape defined by increasingly vocal outrage over every new scandal, the stunning congressional silence surrounding the Henry Cuellar bribery case is both deafening and deeply troubling. Cuellar, a Democrat from Texas, stands accused by our federal government, in a 54-page indictment unsealed on April 30, of accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes from Azerbaijan’s oil-rich Aliyev regime in order to manipulate U.S. policy against Christian Armenians. Three of his associates have already pleaded guilty to laundering these bribes, yet the halls of Congress remain eerily quiet.

In an era defined by the rapid-fire news and a growing public demand for accountability, the lack of response from our elected representatives is nothing short of astonishing. It is as if they’ve all suddenly lost their voices, or perhaps there is something about this scandal that is too sensitive to touch – a concern underscored by recent indications coming from Cuellar’s defense that his prosecution might risk the revelation of classified U.S. documents. One can’t help but question whether this silence is a result of some signal from a dark corner of the U.S. foreign policy establishment that Azerbaijan gets a free pass for interfering in U.S. policy-making. They certainly were given a blank check last year to commit genocide against Artsakh’s (Nagorno Karabakh) indigenous Christian Armenians.

The absence of any meaningful response from Congress on the Cuellar bribery scandal sends a dangerous message to the American people. It suggests that our elected representatives are more concerned with protecting foreign interests than upholding the values of honesty, transparency and accountability. In a time when trust in government is at an all-time low, the silence surrounding this scandal only serves to further erode the public’s faith in our political institutions. It’s a sad state of affairs when the people we elect to represent us seem more interested in protecting a far-away corrupt dictatorship than in serving the American people right here at home.

As the Cuellar bribery scandal continues to unfold, it remains to be seen whether members of Congress will finally find their voice and take a stand against this corruption. Until then, the strange silence of our elected representatives will continue to cast a shadow over the halls of power, leaving the American people to wonder if anyone in Washington is truly looking out for our best interests.

For my part, I am calling on my U.S. representative to expel Congressman Cuellar via the ANCA’s website – anca.org/expel. Please join me in ending the strange silence of Congress on the Cuellar scandal.

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Ani Frankian Vernor

Ani Frankian Vernor is the chair of the Armenian National Committee of America - Texas.

 

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[Yervant1]

Next week’s UN Climate Summit in Baku

Will Further Enrich Ruling Aliyev Clan

 

By Harut Sassounian

www.TheCaliforniaCourier.com

Over the years, there have been several reports exposing the billions of dollars that Azerbaijan’s ruling Aliyev family has embezzled from the state coffers and the large amount of bribes the government has given to various European and U.S. officials.

It is, therefore, not surprising that the next week’s COP29 Climate Summit in Baku is another example of how the ruling elite takes advantage of every opportunity to line its pockets.

The OCCRP (Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project) exposed Azerbaijan’s scandalous actions titled: “‘Official Partners’ of Azerbaijan’s COP29 Climate Summit Linked to Ruling Aliyev Family and Their Inner Circle… Everywhere this year’s international visitors in Baku look, they’ll see companies that have been linked to the family of Azerbaijan’s authoritarian president, Ilham Aliyev.” This extensive report was written by James Dowsett, Kelly Bloss, Fatima Karimova, and Eli Moskowitz.

OCCRP described Azerbaijan as “the most authoritarian country to ever host the event…. Whether it’s mining, banking, hospitality, or construction, there is hardly a major industry in Azerbaijan” that the ruling Aliyev family has not dominated. “As a result, the Aliyevs and their inner circle have built up staggering wealth, much of it held overseas or tied up in property abroad. Even the president’s 11-year-old son owned a London office building.”

Here are the links between the inner circle of the family of President Ilham Aliyev and the ‘official partners’ of the Climate Summit:

1) “Pres. Aliyev’s daughter’s ex-husband [Emin Agalarov]… won a $5.2-million government contract [without any competitive tender process] to host 5,000 COP29 guests at his luxurious Sea Breeze Resort on the Caspian Sea.” The guests “will stay in ultra-luxurious rooms… with access to a seven-kilometer-long beach, over 50 bars and restaurants, and 60 swimming pools.” The six Azeri journalists who exposed this arrangement are now sitting in a Baku jail.

2) “PASHA Holdings, one of the biggest companies in Azerbaijan, owns many of the host city’s top hotels and has extensive interests in tourism, construction, insurance, and banking. PASHA belongs to Aliyev’s two adult daughters [Leyla and Arzu[.” The company’s deputy board chairman, Mir Jamal Pashayev “is a cousin of Azerbaijan’s first lady and vice president Mehriban Aliyeva.”

3) “Azersun Holding… is chaired by [Abdolbari Gozal] the uncle of [Hassan Gozel] who set up three companies in the British Virgin Islands for the Aliyeva sisters.”

4) “Silk Way West Airlines… is responsible for transporting materials and supplies to the conference. It’s owned by a former state official, but has been previously linked to one of the Aliyeva daughters through a sister company, Silk Way Bank…. The airline is ultimately owned by a former state official, Zaur Akhundov, but it has also been linked to the first family in the past through a sister company: A 2010 investigation by Radio Free Europe found that Arzu Aliyeva, the president’s younger daughter, was one of three owners of Silk Way Bank, the former financial arm of Silk Way Group, which the airline is also part of.”

5) “GILTEX, a firm that controls nearly three quarters of the local textile market and until last year was part of a conglomerate [Gilan Holding] in which the president’s daughters held a majority stake [alongside the children of Kamaladdin Heydarov, Azerbaijan’s Emergency Situations Minister. Heydarov is also a member of the COP29 organizing committee]. Gilan Holding was liquidated in 2023.”

6) “SOCAR Green… is a subsidiary of Azerbaijan’s state oil company, SOCAR, which plays an outsized role in the oil-producing nation’s economy.”

7) Bank ABB, “rebranded in 2021, but under its former name, the International Bank of Azerbaijan, made unflattering headlines for the central role it played in the $2.9-billion money laundering scandal known as the Azerbaijani Laundromat. An account at the bank was used as a key conduit for moving a large portion of these funds.  The bank’s former chairman was jailed in 2016 for stealing almost $3 billion from the institution. His wife, who lived in the U.K., was later served with the country’s first-ever ‘unexplained wealth order,’ with British authorities demanding that she prove her vast wealth had a legal origin. She later agreed to forfeit a $17.8-million mansion and a golf club to the British state.”

OCCRP further stated that it “has been reporting on Azerbaijan -- and exposing corruption, human rights abuses, and self-dealing -- for over a decade.” Here are the highlights of some of the reports:

1) “How the ruling Aliyev family profited from a currency collapse, how it sought to buy Kyrygz gold fields, and how it appeared to siphon off a staggering $1 billion from the acquisition of a telecom company.”

2) “A 2016 investigation from data in the Panama Papers that revealed how the [Aliyev] family used offshore structures and multiple layers of ownership to secretly hold a fortune.”

3) “The jailing earlier this year of a group of independent journalists on trumped-up charges ahead of February’s presidential election.”

4) “How American lobbyists have promoted and taken money from the regime, and how the ‘Azerbaijani Laundromat’ was used to funnel billions of dollars out of the country on behalf of its elite.”

[MosJan]

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Asbarez.com

 

Former German Lawmakers Accused of Taking Bribes from Azerbaijan

by Asbarez Staff

 

 December 16, 2024

 

in Latest, News, Top Stories

 

 

Two former members of the German parliament, know as the Bundestag, are facing charges of bribery in connection with what is called the “Azerbaijan affair.”

According to a judicial spokesman, the court has accepted the charges brought by the Munich Public Prosecutor’s Office without any changes, and the proceedings are set to begin on January 16, the Münchner Merkur  Zeitung reported.

The two lawmakers accused of taking bribes from Azerbaijan deny the allegations

One lawmaker Axel Fischer is suspected of bribery and the other, Eduard Lintner, is suspected of bribing elected officials. The aim of the payments was to influence decisions in Azerbaijan’s favor in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.

According to investigators, Lintner, who served in the Bundestag for 33 years and in the PACE until 2010, is said to have received “multiple millions of euros through 19 foreign letterbox companies” through two companies up until 2016.

He is said to have passed some of this money on to other lawmakers who were supposed to influence decisions in Azerbaijan’s interest. Fischer, who was active as European Partnership for Peace parliamentary group leader in the PACE from 2010 to 2018, is said to have given positive speeches in the interests of Azerbaijan and passed on confidential documents at an early stage. In return, he is said to have received a bribe of 21,800 euros in 2016.

According to the public prosecutor’s office, the charges relate to payments made since September 2014. Since then, influencing the activities of members of the parliamentary assemblies of international organizations such as PACE has been a criminal offense in Germany.
Investigations lasted several years.

The Higher Regional Court has also allowed charges to be brought against two other defendants. The Attorney General’s Office accuses them primarily of aiding and abetting, for example by making contact or processing payments. Another former lawmaker, who was also under investigation in the meantime, has died.

The investigation had dragged on for years. There had already been searches at Lintner’s home in 2020, and the following year the Federal Criminal Police Office searched Fischer’s office in the Bundestag.

 

 

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