"Cavalry diplomacy": corruption in the Council of Europe?

The European non-profit research institute “European Stability Initiative” published a report titled “Cavalry diplomacy: how Azerbaijan silenced the Council of Europe”.

In a 36-page report, European analysts tell about the tools by which the Azerbaijani authorities influence European politicians, in particular, it is said how they make the PACE turn a blind eye to all kinds of violations in Azerbaijan, mainly how during the elections Azerbaijan “turned international monitoring into theatrical performance”.

According to the document, the so-called “caviar diplomacy” of Azerbaijan began in 2001, when this country became a member of the Council of Europe, and gained momentum, after Ilham Aliyev, who worked in the PACE, became president of Azerbaijan in 2003. And according to experts, it peaked after the completion of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline in 2005, when “the treasury of the Azerbaijani state began to bathe in oil revenues.”

According to European analysts, the manifestation of “Caviar Diplomacy” is not only the use of energy resources for its political purposes, but also the usual gifts in the form of sturgeon caviar to members of the PACE in exchange for their loyalty. As they note, not everyone defended Azerbaijan in PACE, proceeding from the material interest, some did so based on geopolitical interests, but there are many signs that corruption played a role in rejecting PACE from its duties.

“За пределами Совета Европы уровень демократии в Азербайджане серьезно оспаривается. Даже его большие поклонники признают, что в лучшем случае в Азербайджане господствует полу-авторитарный режим. Азербайджан не провел конкурентных выборов с тех пор, как отец нынешнего президента Ильхама Алиева – Гейдар Алиев пришел к власти в 1993 году после государственного переворота против первого избранного президента”, – говорится в докладе.

“Outside the Council of Europe, the level of democracy in Azerbaijan is seriously challenged, and even its big admirers acknowledge that at best Azerbaijan is dominated by a semi-authoritarian regime. Azerbaijan has not held competitive elections since the father of current President Ilham Aliyev, Heydar Aliyev, came to power in 1993 after a coup against the first elected president,” the report says.

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