MP: Azerbaijan ‘matured’ long ago, no need for OSCE office in Baku

Commenting on the decision to effectively kick the OSCE out of the country, Rasim Musabayov, a political analyst and member of the Milli Maclis (parliament), said that Azerbaijan has every right to demand the closure of the OSCE office.

In a Facebook posting, Musabayov said the first, and also the last, OSCE project coordinator in Baku, Alex Chahtahtinsky, was probably recalled by the organization because of his close ties with the Azerbaijani leadership. The OSCE denies that, saying Chahtahtinsky’s term in office had simply expired.

It seems that Chahtahtinsky, who was in favor of "constructive cooperation” with the Azerbaijani government, was not a welcome man by the OSCE, Musabayov said.

The lawmaker cites a recent statement by Novruz Mammadov, the head of the foreign relations department at President Ilham Aliyev’s office, that Chahtahtinsky was criticized by the US envoy at the OSCE, Daniel Baer, for being photographed with the Azerbaijani president and foreign minister.

In a 2014 statement, Baer said: "While consultation with the host government is certainly an important part of your work, you work for all of us, and you work for the principles that underlie this organization. Your masters are not the government of Azerbaijan.” 

While recalling the OSCE project coordinator in Baku for being on good terms with the Azerbaijani leadership, the US and European countries, particularly France (Chahtahtinsky is a French diplomat, should have thought about Azerbaijan’s reaction, Musabayov said. This comes at a time when Azerbaijan plans to hold a parliamentary election in a just few months’ time. The OSCE has monitored all previous elections held in the country.

The OSCE has also proposed and organized dialogue between the Azerbaijani government and opposition.

The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry did not wait for the OSCE to appoint a new project coordinator for its Baku office.  

As the new coordinator was to meet Daniel Baer’s "specific” requirements, he or she would probably have been unwelcome not only the Azerbaijani government but also many opposition parties and civil society organizations, Musabayov said.  

Therefore, the government unilaterally terminated the "Memorandum of understanding between the government of Azerbaijan and the OSCE on the OSCE project coordinator’s office in Baku”. The office was given a month to close. 

"It is not worth dramatizing the situation,” Musabayov said. "The OSCE does not have permanent representative offices or project coordinators in an absolute majority of its member states. Azerbaijan has long ‘matured’ as an independent state and no longer needs a caretaker. This does not mean that there are no problems in the country. Azerbaijan does have problems just like all other member states do. The Azerbaijani government and society are going to resolve the problems on their own without getting instructions or advice from abroad.”