In a special interview with TASS, Azerbaijani Ambassador to Russia Polad Bulbul oglu summed up the results of his many years of diplomatic work in Moscow and gave parting words to his successor. The diplomat spoke about the upcoming visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin to Baku and announced plans to become the first deputy in the Parliament of the republic from the returned Karabakh
— Mr. Ambassador, after 18 years as head of the Azerbaijani diplomatic mission in Russia, how do you assess the results of your work?
— It is very difficult for me to evaluate my work myself. During these eighteen and a half years, as they say, a lot of water has flowed away, a lot of things have happened. And, of course, I am pleased that today relations between Russia and Azerbaijan are at a very high level of allied cooperation. We are working very actively, and there are no deep contradictions between our countries today. As in any home, as in any family and any relationship, there are some disagreements – life is life, but the most important thing is that today we have such a relationship that we can openly — in a friendly and very friendly way — discuss the problems that arise. There are active political consultations between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of the two countries. The intergovernmental commission, headed by Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Alexei Overchuk on the Russian side, and Vice Prime Minister of Azerbaijan Shahin Mustafayev on the Azerbaijani side, is working very productively. The last meeting was held recently in Baku on August 9.
Our parliamentary ties are also at a high level. Prime ministers and many industry ministers communicate with each other directly.
In April of this year, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev was on a visit to Moscow. An extensive conversation took place with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Many issues were discussed. Our president took part in a solemn meeting dedicated to the 50th anniversary of BAM. As you know, Ilham Heydarovich’s father, Heydar Aliyev, played a major role in the construction and completion of the Baikal-Amur mainline. Personally, all participants of the meeting noted his merit. BAM was not just a construction site, but a certain symbol of the Soviet period. I must say that BAM is still working for the benefit of modern Russia. As already announced, Baku is going to host Russian President Vladimir Putin on August 18-19.As far as I know, a very intense dialogue between the two leaders is expected.
— And what tasks will your successor have to solve already?
— Let’s hope that he won’t have to move any global issues, because they simply don’t exist today. But there is a very broad agenda between the two countries — not only political and economic, but also cultural, social, and humanitarian. Therefore, of course, there is a lot of work. She is everyday and very responsible. I would like to wish my successor great success right now.
— Has the candidacy of your successor already been agreed upon?
— No, not yet.
— The head of the Federation Council Committee on International Affairs, Grigory Karasin, previously stated that preparations for the opening of the Consulate General of the Russian Federation in Khankendi will begin soon. Is there any understanding when the Russian Consulate General will appear in Karabakh?
— The Russian Federation has expressed a desire to open a consulate, because we have two consulates general in Russia — in Yekaterinburg and in St. Petersburg. Considering the size of Russia and the number of Azerbaijanis in your country, this is natural. But in Azerbaijan itself, the field for the work of consulates is more limited. Nevertheless, work is underway in this direction, and various options are being offered. This issue is under discussion.
— The United States is considering the possibility of creating a new overland route from Central Asian countries to world markets through the territories of Armenia and Azerbaijan, bypassing Russia and China. Does Baku have any fears that Washington is trying to shake up the South Caucasus region again?
— I would not politicize this issue. The fact is that any transport initiatives do not mean at all that when a new corridor is opened, everyone will immediately abandon the already proven and convenient ones and run along a new route. That’s exactly how it works. This requires a lot of time, large investments and the consent of many countries. Personally, I think that the more transport opportunities and the more diverse they are, the more conditions there are for business development. Any road or railway opens up new possibilities. What is a transport corridor? It is an opportunity to transport goods and people, it is an opportunity to trade. The more roads there are, the more convenient it is to do business and the more convenient it is to trade and develop tourism. Any road is the development of territories.
— Azerbaijan has stated that it wants to become a member of the BRICS. Has Baku officially applied for accession?
— There is a large queue of those who want to join the BRICS. Azerbaijan has indeed expressed such a desire. We talked about it to our Russian colleagues, but this is also a process and an issue in the work.
— Have Russian observers been invited to the early parliamentary elections in Azerbaijan scheduled for September 1?
— Yes, there were invitations to the Federation Council and the State Duma. We are convinced of the objectivity of the representatives of the Russian Federation. As a rule, representatives from the CIS Interparliamentary Assembly are also present at the elections.
— Are there any threats of unrest, as was the case in many countries during the electoral period?
— I hope not. Elections are always a very responsible and important event for any state and people, it is the expression of people’s will. And, of course, it is necessary that they take place in an open democratic environment so that people can freely express their opinions. Well, as for the election riots in many countries, I don’t think there can be anything like this in Azerbaijan.
— You have put forward your candidacy for deputy from Shusha-Aghdam-Khojaly-Khojavend constituency No. 124 in the parliamentary elections in Azerbaijan in September. Why did you decide to change the field of political activity now and what tasks do you set for yourself in the future?
— My father (the outstanding Soviet and Azerbaijani opera singer Bulbul — approx. TASS) was born in Shusha, in Karabakh. And in recent years, after the liberation of our lands, my fate has again become closely linked with my small homeland. The fact is that the house where my father was born is located there, and on behalf of President Ilham Aliyev, I restored this house, which was destroyed by Armenian vandals. Now there is a functioning house museum. I am glad that now many tourists come to Shusha and visit the Bulbul House Museum. Therefore, my decision (on the nomination of deputies — approx. TASS) naturally. I have worked in Moscow for eighteen and a half years. This is a lot for the diplomatic service. And at this stage, it would be more correct for me to represent my native Shusha, the inhabitants of the region, in parliament. I really hope that I will be elected, and it will be a great honor to be the first deputy after the liberation of Karabakh. I would like to devote the rest of my life — as long as Allah sends — to more communication with the people and nature of my homeland. When I’m in Shusha, I just rest my soul. Crystal clear air, wonderful nature, wonderful people. With my life experience and baggage of administrative and diplomatic work, I can be useful in a new role.
— Concluding your diplomatic mission in Moscow, how would you characterize the results of the bilateral dialogue?
— Well, taking this opportunity, after all, it is not every day that ambassadors give interviews to an agency like TASS, I would like to express my great gratitude to everyone with whom I have worked all these years in the Russian Federation. This is, first of all, the staff of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, whose high professionalism I would like to emphasize. I am glad that throughout my tenure, the outstanding diplomat Sergey Viktorovich Lavrov was the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia, with whom I repeatedly had the opportunity to meet, discuss and resolve numerous issues. And every year, and sometimes several times a year, Sergey Viktorovich visited Azerbaijan on official visits. There were very interesting meetings and discussions both at the level of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and at the level of the republic’s leadership. These eighteen and a half years have passed very quickly and very interestingly. For the last five years, I have been a doyen of the Moscow diplomatic corps. And there is a tradition in Moscow that newly appointed ambassadors pay a courtesy visit to doyen, and doyen tells them to continue their work. So I have always told all newly arrived colleagues that regardless of the political situation, Moscow is one of the most cultured capitals in the world. The theatrical productions, concerts, and exhibitions that are available in Moscow provide an opportunity to get involved in high culture. I always tell my colleagues that while you and your families are here, use this wealth, because no cultured person in the world can pass by Russian culture. I’m not talking about such classics as Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, Pushkin, Lermontov, these are already traditional classical examples, or in music — Glinka, Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninov, Rimsky-Korsakov. These are boulders that have left their mark on the world heritage. Wonderful museums of the Kremlin, the magnificent A.S. Pushkin Museum, or if you take St. Petersburg, where literally every stone is history, the Hermitage and other museums of St. Petersburg. A cultural forum and an economic forum are held there every year. So, indeed, cultural life is very intense. As Chairman of the Interstate Fund for Humanitarian Cooperation of the CIS member States, I participated in many humanitarian events, organized many different events, not only in Moscow and St. Petersburg, but also in other cities of the Russian Federation. Therefore, in addition to the functions of an ambassador, I was even more pleased to implement functions related to culture and humanitarian communication not only in our two countries, but also in all CIS countries. Therefore, I want to say that these years were very important for me both humanly and spiritually. And I want to thank everyone once again who helped me work here. I have three awards from the Russian Federation. He was awarded the Order of Friendship, the Order of the Badge of Honor, and the Certificate of Honor of the President of the Russian Federation. I have two medals from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia — a medal for the 200th anniversary of the consular service and a medal for expanding international relations. I am also an honored Artist of Dagestan.
I would also like to note that despite my completion of my diplomatic mission, my ties with Moscow and Russia are not interrupted. I turn 80 in February. And in this regard, we plan to give a big concert of my works at the Kremlin Palace, where my friends, colleagues and, of course, myself will participate. And on February 4, right on my birthday, a symphonic concert of my symphonic works will be given at the Moscow State Philharmonic Hall, in the Tchaikovsky Hall, including a performance by the outstanding world-class violinist Vadim Repin with a performance of my violin concerto. So even if I resign from the post of ambassador to Russia, it does not mean at all that I will leave and forget everything. This will not happen, we will continue to communicate.
If I am elected to parliament, then there is a friendship group with Russia in parliament. I will definitely try to join this group and, on the parliamentary dimension, I hope we will continue to communicate. So see you soon!
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