FUAD GAHRAMANLI: “AZERBAIJANIS DO NOT WANT TO RETURN TO AZERBAIJAN – THERE IS NO FUTURE AT HOME”

Former deputy chairman of the opposition Popular Front of Azerbaijan party Fuad Gahramanli posted on his Facebook page reflections on the possible deportation of Azerbaijanis from Russia and the reasons why they do not seek to return to their homeland. According to him, the Russian authorities, threatening Azerbaijan with the expulsion of labor migrants, forget that “conditions have been created in Azerbaijan itself under which our compatriots do not even think about returning. If Azerbaijan had the opportunity to live, work and earn with dignity, millions of people would not have left for Russia,” Gahramanli writes.

The politician emphasizes that, in case of mass expulsion from Russia, many will prefer to move to third countries rather than return to their native Azerbaijan. The reason is simple: there are no jobs, no income, and no confidence in the future. “These people are a huge labor force. They create economic value wherever they are. But there is no government in Azerbaijan that would use their energy and skills. Instead, it is fear, the perception of a compatriot as a threat,” the publication says. Gahramanli also believes that the state should have developed a large—scale program for the voluntary return of Azerbaijanis from the countries of the former USSR, primarily from Russia. But, according to him, this is impossible without reforms: fighting corruption, eliminating incompetence and creating real conditions for life and competition.

“Why can’t those who know the local customs and language earn money in their homeland, but thousands of kilometers away — without knowing the language — find work, get decent money and help their families?” the politician asks. Fuad Gahramanli concludes his post with the conclusion: “By answering this question, we will understand why Azerbaijan is the country with the lowest level of prosperity in the South Caucasus, with the lowest GDP growth and the lowest average salary.”

And the US Ambassador to Armenia, Mrs. Kristina Kvien, believes that Karabakh Armenians can live and prosper in Azerbaijan, a barbaric country from which Azerbaijanis themselves are fleeing en masse.