Aliyev said this in an interview with Dmitry Kiselev, director general of the Rossiya Segodnya agency, the full text of which is published by Azertac news agency.
Commenting on the situation in Georgia, Aliyev said “there is a battle for the Caucasus.”
“It is clear where Armenia is heading. De facto, it has left the CSTO. According to our verified information, the only reason they are not de jure withdrawing is because they have not yet received a go-ahead from the State Department. Once they get it, they will withdraw. Azerbaijan is an independent player and is skilled enough to stand up for itself. Therefore, Georgia is an important factor in the battle for the Caucasus. What will it be like? Will it be traditional, based on our Caucasian values?” Aliyev said.
Speaking about Georgia, the Azerbaijani president said that “there are thousands of non-governmental organizations in Georgia funded by the West.”
“There was a period in our country when grant-eaters and grant-givers operated freely, but we stopped it. And that is why any grant given by any structure, be it Azerbaijani or foreign, must be registered, and the relevant bodies look at whether to allow it or not.
We have organized it all here. For example, Azerbaijani media cannot be financed by a foreign source even by one percent. Why? We don’t finance media in the USA, right? Why should they finance our media? They are already pouring mud on our people, on our country day and night through their handy resources such as “Voice of America” and “RFE/RL”, casting a shadow on our victory in the war with Armenia. Therefore, it seems to me that much time was lost in Georgia, and when it was done, the train had already left, as they say. But it is good that now the situation is moving towards stability. And again, you see, Macron’s ears are sticking out again. The man can’t sit in his own country. He has to meddle in Georgia as well,” Aliyev said.
