Azernews.Az

By Trend

Security and national interests of the state should be above all, assistant to the President of Azerbaijan on political issues, head of the department Ali Hasanov told Trend on July 3 in connection with the anniversary of the terror attacks in Ganja city last year.

“A year has passed since the Ganja events that were evaluated as an attempt on the statehood of Azerbaijan,” he said. “The facts revealed as a result of investigative measures taken over the past period proved once again that the Ganja events were a joint insidious provocation of radical clerical circles of some states, and separatists and groups within the country, willing to realize personal ambitions under the veil of political activity, against the state and national interests.”

“From the information widely spread in the media, in particular, in social media, it is clear that in connection with the anniversary of the Ganja events, which demonstrated the failure of the scenario that these forces wanted to realize last year and which showed that citizens are on guard of statehood, one of the radical Islamist groups, with the majority of its members being former citizens of Azerbaijan, has once again become active,” Hasanov said.

“Activation of the group on the pages and profiles of social networks, as well as on the websites managed by the clerical circles of some states, can definitely be regarded as support for extreme religious radicalism and fundamentalism,” he noted.

“Some provocative websites hiding behind religious slogans that intend to sow the seed of distrust and, if possible, hostility between the state and the people, feature video footage confirming participation of the main character who committed the terror attack in Ganja city, Russian citizen Yunis Safarov in the fighting in Syria,” Hasanov added. “Attempts are being made to popularize him as a real “hero”, his wife’s appeal immediately after the event is re-circulated.”

“It is regrettable that some opposition leaders and activists who claim to be supporters of a democratic and secular state, support this campaign that promotes terror, repeat the slogans used by foreign groups that have chosen extremism as their ideology, voice appeals of this type and question the centuries-old environment of religious tolerance, as well as Azerbaijan’s image of tolerance,” Hasanov said. “In a word, it is obvious that this type of opposition, which claims to be committed to democratic values, in fact supports radicalism, fundamentalism and radical religion.”

"And if so, what kind of Azerbaijan does this opposition need? Stable, strong, democratic Azerbaijan standing in the same row with the developed countries of the world, or a firing ground where internal war, bloody chaos, tragic fraternal confrontation does not stop, terrorist groups are rampant like in Sudan, Somalia, Libya, Syria, etc.? Maybe they want to return Azerbaijan to the dark Middle Ages, to turn the country into a place governed by Sharia law?," Hasanov said.

"It is known that the crime of the person who committed an attempt on the head of the Ganja Executive Power on the evening of July 3 was a terror act, that the person who committed the crime was a foreign citizen and that he participated in military operations unsanctioned by the Azerbaijani state," he added. "From materials published in local and foreign media, the repeatedly circulated video messages of the wife of Yunis Safarov, it became known that his act was not done for personal reasons, not for the purpose of revenge, or as some claim, not as a protest against 'social evil', but in the name of 'ideas' for which he fought as part of illegal armed units abroad, that is, in order to create a 'Sharia state' in Azerbaijan."

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