Russia expects neighboring countries to accept its supremacy, making equal relations with Moscow impossible, Azerbaijani opposition politician Isa Gambar said.
Gambar made the remarks in a BBC interview marking the 35th anniversary of Azerbaijan’s restoration of independence. He also rejected criticism of the government led by Abulfaz Elchibey and said one of the national movement’s three principal goals remains unfulfilled.
Gambar said relations with Russia were difficult not only during the Popular Front government. He cited tensions under Heydar Aliyev, which he characterized as a de facto blockade of Azerbaijan in 1994-1995, and the recent crisis under Ilham Aliyev, referring to the plane crash and subsequent events.
He said it was unfair to attribute the difficulties of the Elchibey period solely to errors by Azerbaijan’s leadership.
“Moscow’s expectations were not about resolving certain individual issues. It wanted Azerbaijan and other countries to accept its supremacy as vassals and follow its instructions,” Gambar said.
He pointed to an agreement signed during Elchibey’s visit to Moscow, saying Azerbaijan’s parliament was ready to ratify it but the Russian parliament did not approve the document.
Gambar added that the opposition supported the government when it defended Azerbaijan’s national interests in relations with Russia.
“When tensions arose between Moscow and Baku, we never sought to talk about the government’s mistakes,” he said.
Debate Over the Popular Front Government
Gambar criticized attempts to blame current problems on the Popular Front’s brief period in power.
“It looks very strange and, in fact, ridiculous when a force that has been in power for more than 30 years criticizes a force that was in power for one year,” he said.
He said leaders should be held accountable primarily for their own periods in office, including their decisions, errors, difficulties and achievements. Speculation about what another leader might have done in the early 1990s cannot be proved, he added.
Independence Was Not Automatic
Gambar rejected the argument that Azerbaijan would inevitably have become independent after the Soviet Union collapsed, regardless of the national movement’s struggle.
“If the peoples of the Soviet Union had not fought for independence, why would the Soviet Union have collapsed?” he said.
He said movements in six republics - Azerbaijan, Georgia, Ukraine, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia - played a decisive role. Perestroika created opportunities for the struggle, he said, but Mikhail Gorbachev’s goal was to preserve the Soviet system.
“Empire and democracy are incompatible. As soon as an empire begins to grant freedoms, it begins to disintegrate,” Gambar said.
One of Three Goals Remains
Looking back on 35 years of independence, Gambar identified three goals of the national movement: independence, restoration of territorial integrity and democratic development.
He linked the first goal to the people’s struggle under Elchibey. He described the restoration of territorial integrity as a major national achievement reached under the current government and through its decisions.
“Our third goal remains: to achieve democracy, law, justice and equality in Azerbaijan,” he said.
Gambar criticized the state of political and economic freedoms, social justice and prisoners’ rights, while expressing confidence that society can bring about change.