Over the last days, representatives of the mass media have applied to the Academy for information concerning the arrest of Academician Eldar Yunis Salayev, the ex-president of the Azerbaijan Academy of Sciences. Considering in principle this question as the competence of law enforcement bodies, the Presidium of the Academy is extremely concerned over the populist claims appeared in the media with eager desire to politicize this fact. We were very surprised at the founding of the committee to protect Eldar Salayev’s rights comprising representatives of political parties and human rights organizations.

In this connection, the Presidium of the Academy has considered it necessary to make a statement to express its viewpoint on the issue.

First of all, we would like to particularly emphasize that Eldar Salayev is a full member of the Academy of Sciences, and had it been necessary to protect his rights, it would have been done by the Academy’s community. We are firmly convinced that it was serious cause and the need to prevent various destructive actions that have forced the relevant bodies to take this extraordinary step - to arrest the full member of the National Academy of Sciences.

At this point, we have to claim with regret that over the last few years, Eldar Salayev have completely isolated himself from scientific community preferring the way of life, which goes bad with scientific activity.

As is known, former Speaker of the Azerbaijani Parliament Rasul Guliyev has been engaged for a long time in self-advertisement and activities having very negative impact on the country’s intelligentsia. Taking advantage of the financial problems the workers of culture and science had been facing in the first years of independence, and using obviously dishonest money, he was trying his best to build up his reputation as a benefactor through funding some populist actions and representatives of intelligentsia and so on. Unfortunately, there were people in Azerbaijan who mocking at ex-Speaker’s incompetence and baseless ambitions behind his back, at the same time extolled him to his face paving the way for his ambitions to rise excessively. Eldar Salayev’s weak will shortly turned him into Rasul Guliyev’s shadow. He practically stayed gave up the science becoming weak-willed tool in the hands of political ‘operators’.

As a result, the Academy today has to express regret about what he has committed, and the sense of bitterness that a representative of academic science has been involved in the actions threatening our country’s national interests.

The Academy has been proud of its commitment to the ideals of serving the fatherland since its founding, and over 60 years of its glorious history. It hurts us to state that a person, who has preferred his personal friendship and pretensions to the national interests, has been found among us.

We hope that the Eldar Salaye’s case will be investigated in full compliance with the requirements of the European community.

We are confident that the pre- parliamentary elections developments cannot prevent citizens from free expression of their will, and that the people of Azerbaijan will vote on 6 November for their most deserved sons and daughters.

We do not doubt that despite the political shows organized by some forces, the wisdom of the Azerbaijani people will not allow the situation to be destabilized as the democratic elections will demonstrate our commitment to the system of all-European values to the whole world.

The Presidium of the National Academy urges all the representatives of the civil society not to turn the developments pertaining solely to legal sphere into a political show in order to achieve whatever goals.

On behalf of the Presidium of the National Academy of sciences of Azerbaijan

President of the National Academy of Sciences

Academician Mahmud Kerimov