AZE.US
Azerbaijan should train professionals who speak Russian fluently and can defend the country’s interests in Russian-language media, lawmaker Razi Nurullayev said in an interview with Media Türk TV.
Nurullayev said decisions on whether Russian-language schools should remain open must be based on state policy and Azerbaijan’s national interests, rather than demands from individual groups.
“If there is a need for the Russian language, the necessary number of schools should remain,” he said. “But promoting the idea that education is better in Russian and encouraging everyone to study in the Russian sector is unacceptable. We have our own language, and we should receive education in Azerbaijani.”
At the same time, the MP argued that Azerbaijan should not abandon Russian-language education entirely.
He noted that many Azerbaijanis live, work and run businesses in Russia, while the Russian market remains important for trade and commercial ties.
According to Nurullayev, Azerbaijan particularly needs journalists, analysts and other specialists who can write, speak and work professionally in Russian.
“We need people who can appear on Russian television channels and defend Azerbaijan’s interests,” he said. “Simply producing thousands of Russian-speaking citizens is not enough if their only skill is speaking the language.
We need specialists who can work in the media, express ideas clearly and communicate Azerbaijan’s position to Russian-speaking audiences.”
Nurullayev also called for greater state support for Azerbaijanis who were born or educated in Russia and understand Russian society.
He said such professionals could be encouraged to study at leading institutions and later work in Russian television, radio and other media organizations.
The lawmaker also sharply criticized Moscow’s foreign policy, arguing that Russia itself is responsible for the distrust it faces across the former Soviet region.
“Russia is a major power, but it should analyze its own policies and ask why even countries that benefit from its market or investments remain skeptical of it,” Nurullayev said.
He argued that Russian military deployments are often viewed as a threat rather than a security guarantee.
According to the MP, Moscow has extensive experience in creating and managing conflicts, then using those conflicts to maintain political influence.
Nurullayev cited the former Karabakh conflict as an example.
“Karabakh remained in their hands as a bargaining chip, and they used it,” he said. “If Russia changes this policy and countries stop seeing it as a threat, public attitudes may also change. Otherwise, they will not.”
He added that many countries continue to fear that Russia could encourage ethnic tensions, support separatism or use unresolved conflicts as leverage.
Nurullayev said relations with Russia would continue because it is Azerbaijan’s neighbor and remains home to a large Azerbaijani community. However, he argued that Russian-language education should serve Azerbaijan’s strategic interests rather than become an instrument of Russian political influence.
AZE.US