Editing Foreign relations of Azerbaijan (section)

===Caviar diplomacy===
{{main|Caviar diplomacy}}
The [[European Stability Initiative]] (ESI) has revealed in a report from 2012 with the title "[[Caviar diplomacy]]: How Azerbaijan silenced the Council of Europe", that since Azerbaijan's entry into the [[Council of Europe]], each year 30 to 40 deputies are invited to Azerbaijan and generously paid with expensive gifts, including [[caviar]] (worth up to 1,400 euro), silk carpets, gold, silver and large amounts of money.<ref>[http://www.tagesspiegel.de/politik/aserbaidschan-die-kaviar-diplomatie/7280930.html Aserbaidschan: Die Kaviar-Diplomatie] (German). [[Der Tagesspiegel]]. Retrieved 3 August 2013</ref><ref>{{Cite report|url=http://www.esiweb.org/pdf/esi_document_id_131.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/http://www.esiweb.org/pdf/esi_document_id_131.pdf |archive-date=2022-10-09 |url-status=live|title=ESI ''Caviar Diplomacy: How Azerbaijan silenced the Council of Europe'' Part 1}}</ref> In return they become [[lobbyists]] for Azerbaijan. This practice has been widely referred to as "Caviar diplomacy".<ref name=euobserver>[http://euobserver.com/opinion/118320 Europe's caviar diplomacy with Azerbaijan must end]. [[EUobserver]]. Retrieved 6 April 2014</ref>

ESI also published a report on 2013 Presidential elections in Azerbaijan titled "Disgraced: Azerbaijan and the end of election monitoring as we know it". The report revealed the ties between Azerbaijani government and the members of certain observation missions who praised the elections.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.esiweb.org/pdf/esi_document_id_145.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/http://www.esiweb.org/pdf/esi_document_id_145.pdf |archive-date=2022-10-09 |url-status=live|title="Disgraced. Azerbaijan and the end of election monitoring as we know it." 5 November 2013, Berlin}}</ref> Azerbaijan's "Caviar diplomacy" at 2013 presidential elections sparked a major international scandal, as the reports of two authoritative organizations [[Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe]]/[[European Parliament]] and [[Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights|OSCE/ODIHR]] completely contradicted one another in their assessments of elections.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.rferl.org/content/shadowy-western-observers-election-azerbaijan-aliyev/25132176.html|title=Who Are The Shadowy Western Observers Weighing in on Azerbaijan's Election?|work=RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty|date=10 October 2013 |access-date=20 February 2015 |last1=Solash |first1=Richard |last2=Aliyev |first2=Kenan }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.balcanicaucaso.org/eng/Regions-and-countries/Azerbaijan/Europe-Azerbaijan-and-caviar-144030|title=Europe, Azerbaijan, and caviar|author=[[Osservatorio Balcani e Caucaso]]|work=[[Osservatorio Balcani e Caucaso]]|access-date=20 February 2015}}</ref><ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-24573024 European MPs' praise for Azerbaijan election sparks row] BBC News, 17 October 2013</ref><ref name=guardian>[https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/nov/24/azerbaijan-caviar-diplomacy-for-mps ''Plush hotels and caviar diplomacy: how Azerbaijan's elite wooed MPs''] The Guardian 24 November 2013</ref>

Non-governmental anti-corruption organization [[Transparency International]] has regularly judged Azerbaijan to be one of the most corrupt countries in the world<ref name=guardian/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.transparency.org/country#AZE|title=Transparency International – Country Profiles|author=Transparency International e.V.|access-date=20 February 2015|archive-date=12 May 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200512190640/https://www.transparency.org/country#AZE|url-status=dead}}</ref> and has also criticized Azerbaijan for the "Caviar diplomacy".<ref name=euobserver/><ref>[http://www.demdigest.net/blog/2012/05/how-bakus-caviar-diplomacy-neutered-europes-rights-standards/ How Baku's 'caviar diplomacy' neutered Europe's rights standards] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131205041127/http://www.demdigest.net/blog/2012/05/how-bakus-caviar-diplomacy-neutered-europes-rights-standards/ |date=5 December 2013 }}. Democracy Digest. Retrieved 4 August 2013</ref>

At June 2016 the public prosecutor of Milan has accused the former leader of the (Christian) Union of the center and of the European People's Party of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe Luca Volonte of accepting large bribes from representatives of the Azerbaijani government.<ref>[http://www.ilfattoquotidiano.it/2016/06/25/corruzione-tangente-da-due-milioni-dallazerbaijan-indagato-a-milano-ex-udc-volonte/2859414/ Corruzione, "tangente da due milioni dall'Azerbaijan": indagato a Milano ex Udc Volontè] // Corriere della Sera, 25 June 2016</ref> Two people with high-level experience of the Council of Europe's parliamentary assembly (Pace) have told the Guardian they believe its members have been offered bribes for votes by Azerbaijan. Former Azerbaijani diplomat, Arif Mammadov, alleged that a member of Azerbaijan's delegation at the Council of Europe had €30m (£25m) to spend on lobbying its institutions, including the Council of Europe assembly.<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/law/2017/apr/20/council-of-europe-urged-to-investigate-azerbaijan-bribery-allegations Fresh claims of Azerbaijan vote-rigging at European human rights body] // The Guardian. 20 April 2017</ref> PACE ratified the terms of reference of an independent external investigation body to carry out a detailed independent inquiry into the allegations of corruption at the council involving Azerbaijan.<ref>[https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-40092451 Corruption inquiry at Council of Europe over Azerbaijan] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211114001110/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-40092451 |date=14 November 2021 }} // BBC, 30 May 2017</ref>

====ESISC report====
{{main|European strategic intelligence and security center}}
On 6 March 2017, [[European strategic intelligence and security center|ESISC]] (European Strategic Intelligence and Security Center) published a scandalous report called "The Armenian Connection" where it veraciously attacked human rights NGOs and research organisations criticising human rights violations and corruption in Azerbaijan, Turkey, and Russia.<ref name="FFAC">[https://civicsolidarity.org/sites/default/files/az_lobbying_corruption_report_10_march_2017_public_version_color_1.pdf AN EXPLORATION INTO AZERBAIJAN'S SOPHISTICATED SYSTEM OF PROJECTING ITS INTERNATIONAL INFLUENCE, BUYING WESTERN POLITICIANS AND CAPTURING INTERGOVERNMENTAL ORGANISATIONS] // Freedom Files Analytical Centre (Civic Solidarity Platform), March 2017</ref>

[[European strategic intelligence and security center|ESISC]] in that report asserted that "Caviar diplomacy" report elaborated by ESI aimed to create climate of suspicion based on slander to form a network of MPs that would engage in a political war against Azerbaijan.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.esisc.org/publications/analyses/11791|title=The Armenian Connection: How a secret caucus of MPs and NGOs, since 2012, created a network within the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe to hide violations of international law|website=esisc.org|access-date=2017-04-26}}</ref> In the Second Chapter of the report called "The Armenian Connection: «Mr X», Nils Muižnieks, Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights" that was published on 18 April 2017 ESISC asserted that the network composed of European PMs, Armenian officials and some NGOs: [[Human Rights Watch]], [[Amnesty International]], "Human Rights House Foundation", "Open Dialog", [[European Stability Initiative]], and [[Helsinki Committee for Human Rights]], was financed by the [[Soros Foundation]]. According to ESISC the key figure of the network since 2012 has been [[Nils Muižnieks]], Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe and the network has served to the interests of George Soros and the Republic of Armenia.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.esisc.org/publications/analyses/the-armenian-connection-chapter-2--mr-x--nils-muinieks-council-of-europe-commissioner-for-human-rights|title=The Armenian Connection. Chapter 2: " Mr X ", Nils Muižnieks, Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights|website=esisc.org|access-date=2017-04-26}}</ref>
"The report is written in the worst traditions of authoritarian propaganda, makes absurd claims, and is clearly aimed at deflecting the wave of criticism against cover-up of unethical lobbying and corruption in PACE and demands for change in the Assembly", said Freedom Files Analytical Centre.<ref name="FFAC" />

According Robert Coalson (Radio Free Europe), ESISC is a part of Baku's lobbying efforts to extend to the use of front think tanks to shift public opinion.<ref>[https://www.rferl.org/a/azerbaijan-baku-caviar-oil/25162410.html Baku Smooths Over Its Rights Record With A Thick Layer Of Caviar] // Radio Free Europe, 8 November 2013</ref>

European Stability Initiative said that "ESISC report is full of lies (such as claiming that German PACE member Strasser holds pro-Armenian views and citing as evidence that he went to Yerevan in 2015 to commemorate the [[Armenian genocide]], when Strasser has never in his life been to independent Armenia)".<ref>[http://www.esiweb.org/index.php?lang=fr&id=67&newsletter_ID=114 Merchants of Doubt or investigating Corruption] // ESI, 21 April 2017</ref>