Ambassadors of Silence
In the wake of Hikmet Hajiyev's statement

ANALYTICS  29 August 2022 - 16:18

Last weekend, in the political life of the country, was memorable by a bold statement of presidential aide Hikmet Hajiyev, regarding the activity (or rather inactivity) of the US and French ambassadors to Azerbaijan. At the conference in Shusha, which was attended by representatives of over a hundred embassies and international organizations present in Azerbaijan, there was a blank space in "USA" and "France" columns, because these countries' ambassadors (US Charge d'Affaires), as Hajiyev remarked, "openly disregarded the Azerbaijani government's invitation".

The presidential aide said: "We perceive this as disrespect for our territorial integrity. As co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, France and the US have not contributed to the settlement of the conflict for 30 years. They have wasted Azerbaijan's time for 30 years. By not joining this trip, they have once again shown their disregard."

In other words, a blank space was not only in front of the names of the heads of the US and French diplomatic missions but also in the zero activity of the countries they represented in the settlement of the Karabakh conflict. And the immediate reaction of the American embassy, which issued an appeal stating that embassy staff had visited and were visiting areas liberated from the Armenian occupation of Azerbaijan, only added fuel to the flame, since there was no mention of Shusha in the areas listed!

Frankly, after 44 days of the war, and especially after the Azerbaijani flag was hoisted in Lachin on November 26, I have absolutely no interest in whether the staff of the US and French embassies visited Shusha or not, or whether they appear there at all. I don't give a damn if the representatives of the remnants of the Armenian armed formations in Karabakh started talking about this. One of them, Arthur Tovmasyan, particularly said that "by welcoming the non-visit of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chair countries to Shusha, we again make sure that the conflict is not over and requires only a political solution under the auspices of the OSCE Minsk Group".

I do not give a damn that some Gubads and Bakhtiyars try to make some snide remarks about this and, having failed to find support in their homeland, become the highlight of the "most ancient" media. They belong there, frankly. It is important to me that the Assistant to the President of my homeland stated facts from which there is no escape for the powers that be. The 30-year activity of the OSCE Minsk Group mission was closed for our country, just like President Ilham Aliyev has closed the so-called "status" for the so-called "NKR".

For those who have forgotten, let me remind you that the USA and France themselves refused to participate in the Minsk Group immediately after the start of the Russian-Ukrainian armed confrontation and declared that they could not work together with Russia. So neither French ambassador Zacharie Gross nor Hugo Guevara, chargé d'affaires at the US embassy, can change anything with their ambassadorial tricks.

It is important to me that neither the USA with its double standard policy and a president suffering from memory lapses (not only with respect to Azerbaijan), nor France with its president who is occasionally smashed both figuratively and literally, are in power to take from us what they do not have and are not expected to have in the near future. Namely a charismatic, self-confident president who knows perfectly well what must be done, when, and how, so that his country can save face in world politics and not turn (like its ancient neighbours) into a spit on the world map, and his people - a sense of national dignity!

That is why we are not afraid of Iran, which has always almost openly defended the interests of our enemy. After all, what is the bottom line? As a result, we still occasionally hear barking from the south after a caravan called Azerbaijan that is confidently moving forward and fortifying its borders.

That is why we communicate with Russia on equal terms and openly support the territorial integrity of Ukraine in the Russian-Ukrainian confrontation, as we sacredly honor the principle of inviolability of borders.

That is why the silence of some "ambassadors", or rather their absence at important events for Azerbaijan, does not bother me. Frankly, I do not care where the American or French embassy officials may or may not come. It is important to me, that we have already come to the right place, and we are going ahead. Because we know where, when and with whom to go.

Caliber.Az