Mikhail Zabelin: ‘’There are sober-minded politicians and worthy leaders in Azerbaijan’’

Yesterday 95 years was marked since the founding of the Samed Vurgun Russian Drama Theater in Baku. All performances are only in Russian – Azerbaijanis generally love and honor the Russian language and Russian culture.The Chairman of the Russian community of Azerbaijan, MP Mikhail Zabelin, told the editor-in-chief of Vestnik Kavkaza, Mary Sidelnikovova, about the life of the Russian-speaking population in Azerbaijan.

- What is the Russian diaspora in Azerbaijan?

There have been several waves of resettlement of Russians in Azerbaijan. First there were the Molokans, some of whom moved to the Caucasus, not only to Azerbaijan but also to Georgia and Armenia. Then, when the oil boom in Azerbaijan began, a lot of Russian engineers and workers came. Further, when the economy recovered after being destroyed throughout the Soviet Union, many Russian teachers and engineers came to Azerbaijan.

 

After the collapse of the Soviet Union it was a difficult period, many Russians remained outside of their historical homeland. They need the support of Russia, assistance to adapt to the new conditions of life. Then we created an organization, the Russian community of Azerbaijan.

At the time, Heydar Aliyev was in Nakhichevan.

He called me and said, "Look, why do you need to create a Russian community, are we not one people?"

I answered: "Heydar Aliyevich,  the Popular Front came to power, there are a lot of problems, the Russians fear for their future."

He promised: ‘’When I come back, I will help. But tell everyone not to go anywhere!" Indeed, when Heydar Aliyev was elected as president in 1993, he often met with me, we discussed a variety of issues. In January the Orthodox people celebrate Christmas, Heydar Aliyev came to the gala concert and after the concert took the stage and said, ‘’do not go anywhere, I'm President, I am the guarantor of the protection of your rights and freedoms! Everything will be fine. Russia is our closest neighbor, our friend, and we will do everything to establish relations with Russia."

And that time there were a lot of problems with Russia. Boris Yeltsin was unpredictable, who didn't always appreciate the good attitude of Azerbaijan to Russia. However, Heydar Aliyev said: "Yeltsin is still not Russia, not all the Russian people. The situation is sure to change."

Heydar Aliyev contributed to the preservation of the Russian language, Russian culture in Azerbaijan. The Russian community was given a large room, where we set up the Center of Russian Culture. The restoration of churches started. After the collapse of the Union, the state was also not very well provided, companies were not working. But still the money was found. The Church of the Holy Myrrh-bearers was rebuilt, which had been in a former military town before and, in fact, functioned as a warehouse. The restoration of churches, which were built before revolution, started in Azerbaijan.

-How many Russians live in Azerbaijan?

A little more than 120 thousand. If we compare it with Georgia and Armenia, where there are 5000 and 10,000, it is, of course, the sky and the earth. Why do so many Russians live in Azerbaijan? This is the mentality of the Azerbaijanis themselves! I was born and raised in Azerbaijan, and, like any Russian, never felt sidelong glances, did not feel any pressure, I did not feel as if I were a second class citizen. Relationships have  always been very good. Sometimes an Azerbaijani neighbor was closer than a relative. The neighbor would always help and assist in resolving any issues. Among Russian guys who volunteered to defend the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan there are national heroes of Azerbaijan, such as Yuri Kovalev. Many were awarded orders and medals during their lifetimes or posthumously. They went to war by call of their heart. Back then, we had no army, it was just the militia. They were so fond of their country, their second homeland, that they gave their lives for the integrity of the land where they were born and grew up. This fact reflects the attitude of the Russian population of the Azerbaijani people.

- How do the Russians in Azerbaijan react to what is happening in Ukraine, to the reunion of Russia and Crimea?

- At that time journalists started to ask me: "Mikhail, you are Russian, what do you think about it?’’

We have the same situation in Nagorno-Karabakh – Armenia has annexed a part of the territory of Azerbaijan, and I am delighted that Crimea returned to Russia. I said then in an interview that I support Putin, who returned Crimea to Russia. I believe that once Russia has the right to reclaim their territory, and Azerbaijan has the right to reclaim their territory as well. Then came a newspaper with the headline 'MP Zabelin supports Putin'.

And I had a good relationship with the Ambassador of Ukraine. He's a good man, he is from Donetsk. We met and were talking for two hours. With regard to Crimea, everything is clear, and regarding Donetsk and Lugansk I told him a story:

Suret Guseinov, who arrogated to himself the title of colonel, seized the weapons of the military units of the Soviet Union in Ganja. The servicemen had already gone, but the weapons remained. Huseynov wanted to use it to start a civil war. With his regiment he was already moving in the direction of Baku. The country was on the brink of a civil war. And Heydar Aliyev, who was then the speaker, not even the president, travelled to Ganja and met with Suret Huseynov to stop the war and stabilize the situation.

I recalled this to the ambassador of Ukraine and suggested maybe  Poroshenko should go to Zakharchenko, sit down with him at the table and stop this war. The ambassador replied: "Who is Zakharchenko that Poroshenko has to go to him?" I said, "And who was Suret Guseinov? He was the boss of a wool cleaning point, and he conferred on himself the rank of colonel. However, Heydar Aliyev went to see him!" Then, the ambassador said: "So that's Heydar! '

That's the whole point, that Ukraine has no worthy leader who would realize, or use someone else's experience to stop the civil war. Anyhow, Azerbaijan has not acceded to the Western sanctions against Russia, all the time Baku has been in favor of the normalization of Russian-Ukrainian relations, as in Azerbaijan there are sober-minded politicians and a worthy leader – a president who understands the situation correctly.