It is not difficult to logically explain Moscow’s actions. In my view, all of this stems from an attempt to imitate the United States—behaving as they please, expecting the world to accept that Russia is a superpower on par with the U.S. and China.
This was stated to Minval.az by political analyst and member of the Milli Majlis (Azerbaijani Parliament) Rasim Musabayov, commenting on the ban imposed on Azerbaijani MP Azer Badamov from entering Russia.
“Russia is neither the U.S. nor China. China, despite being a more powerful power today, behaves far more reservedly than Russia—at least with regard to its neighbors,” he said.
Regarding the recent cyberattack on Azerbaijani information systems allegedly orchestrated by Russia, the expert noted that measures have already been taken.
“We need to strengthen the protection of our information resources, which, in my opinion, is already underway. Measures should be taken to improve the resilience of our systems so they can be quickly restored after an attack. I believe this is also being done. Azerbaijan has the right, as stipulated in the declaration of allied relations with Russia, to appeal to the relevant Russian institutions and request an investigation into who organized the cyberattack and for what purpose. In this regard, either cooperation or refusal will have consequences for our relations,” the MP said.
Speaking about the ban imposed on Badamov, Musabayov stated: “The ban and forced return of my colleague from Moscow is an absolutely unprecedented and thoughtless step.”
“If Russia had serious and well-founded claims against the MP, they should have announced it. In that case, he wouldn’t have gone at all. He was visiting Russia not for private matters but at the invitation of the Astrakhan administration, which has sister-city ties with Azerbaijan’s Absheron district. It should have been taken into account that Azer Badamov represents the Qusar region, which borders Russia, and he is part of the Azerbaijani parliamentary group cooperating with the Russian Duma. He is a deputy focused on strengthening ties with Russia. Such an act toward him is utterly outrageous. Badamov has never made hostile or offensive remarks about the Russian people or the Russian state. He merely expressed his indignation and responded to Russian MP Valuyev, who insulted Azerbaijanis in Russia by calling them a ‘gang,’ for which he received an appropriate reply,” he noted.
Musabayov is convinced that the deportation of an Azerbaijani MP on such grounds will be sharply perceived and will seriously affect interparliamentary relations between the two countries. “After this incident, very few Azerbaijani MPs will want to visit Russia at all.”
“I believe we are entitled to demand appropriate clarifications. When Azerbaijan imposed similar restrictions, we announced them in advance, and only in response to outrageous actions or statements. For example, Mikhail Delyagin, Deputy Chair of the Duma Committee on Economic Policy, publicly stated on Russian state TV that Russia could threaten Azerbaijan with a nuclear strike on its oil infrastructure—and then launched a poll about it on his Telegram channel. For such actions, Russian law provides criminal liability. Yes, he was subjected to some disciplinary action. But Azerbaijan rightly imposed a ban on his entry and publicly declared it.
Moreover, there’s also Zatulin, who repeatedly called for the dismemberment of the Azerbaijani state. He also illegally visited the separatist regime in Karabakh. Azerbaijan has imposed restrictions on him, as have Georgia, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Moldova, and others,” Musabayov pointed out.
The MP emphasized that this is not a case of personal insults: “These are direct calls to act against our state.”
“Milonov also visited the illegal separatist regime and engaged in shady dealings. All these individuals, by the way, are members of the ruling party in Russia. Restrictions were imposed on them, but these were announced in advance,” he added.
The expert believes that Baku will request an explanation, “but without doubt, this will negatively affect our interparliamentary ties, as it is unacceptable that a government of a Russian federal subject invites a delegation, and then MPs from that delegation are turned back at the border.”
“There’s a kind of duality in Russia-Azerbaijan relations. On one hand, our plane is shot down, a clearly hostile cyberattack is organized, Russian state TV airs insulting statements by officials and MPs about Azerbaijan, and unfriendly acts are committed against our MPs. On the other hand, Russia sends us Speaker of the Federal Assembly Valentina Matviyenko, the head of the Foreign Intelligence Service Naryshkin, and now Patriarch Kirill has arrived. They all say that ties must be strengthened and that Russia is ready to do whatever is necessary. In my view, playing such games is unlikely to strengthen bilateral relations,” said the MP.
Regarding the activities of the “Russian House” and Sputnik in Baku, he noted that the issue has already been resolved: “Everything in diplomacy is based on reciprocity. We do not have structures in Russia comparable to the ‘Russian House’ that operated in Azerbaijan. Around one million Azerbaijanis live in Russia, yet in Moscow—unlike in Azerbaijan—there is no theater, no cultural institution, no media outlet, no schools for them. In contrast, Azerbaijan has a Russian drama theater, and education is conducted in Russian in over 300 schools.
Azerbaijan has all the necessary and quite extensive infrastructure to meet the educational and cultural needs of the Russian-speaking and Russian population,” he emphasized.
“If the ‘Russian House’ is needed, let them open one in Brazil, India, or Morocco—places that lack such infrastructure, unlike Azerbaijan,” Musabayov added.
“It would be good if at least some kind of infrastructure like that was created for Azerbaijanis in Russia—something approaching what we have here. Then we can have a substantive conversation. This also applies to media. Even fraternal Turkey does not have media representation at this level in Azerbaijan, whereas Sputnik has opened a massive office here. Others are limited to correspondent points. The same goes for Azerbaijan in Russia—just two or three such points. Everything must be reciprocal, and there’s no need for trickery or offended expressions,” Musabayov concluded.
