Zatulin: Markov is not my friend, but an Azerbaijani-Turkish agent

Konstantin Zatulin, First Deputy chairman of the Russian State Duma Committee on CIS Affairs, suggested that political scientist Sergei Markov be included in the list of foreign agents because of the praises he uttered to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, and then attempts to justify himself for it. EADaily cites the full text of Zatulin's statement, which he published on August 1 in the telegram channel:

"I am following with interest the attempts to justify themselves by the most vulnerable Azerbaijani-Turkish lobbyists in the Russian expert community. The vigilant Tsargrad TV channel, busy around the clock constructing "enemies of the Russian people" (I know firsthand), for some reason provided Sergey Markov with a broadcast last week for laundering under the images for sycophancy in front of Ilham Aliyev. Tsargrad does not hesitate to orchestrate a smear campaign when it comes, for example, to the problems of streamlining migration policy based on common sense, and not cheap xenophobia and migrant phobia. But in the case of Markov — how not to please your little man?

Sergey Markov, who was an employee of the National Democratic Institute❶ (USA) and the Carnegie American Center in Moscow all the 90s, and concurrently worked for many years after that to create a false, leafy image of Azerbaijan and Turkey in the media. Russia. Since 2017, he has been the Secretary General of the Russian-Turkish Public Forum. He spent tons of paper and thousands of words on the Internet to whitewash the aggressive policy of Azerbaijan and Turkey in Transcaucasia, glorifying the historical victory in Karabakh and without any hesitation, continues, like the former TASS demiurge Mikhail Gusman, to pay compliments to the leader of Azerbaijan. As well as Erdogan. Whatever and whenever they did. That is, Markov meets all the qualifications of a foreign agent, only now not American, but Azerbaijani-Turkish.

I have no personal enmity towards Sergei Alexandrovich. Moreover, I consider his activity useful for educating the masses: people should know firsthand what is the interest of our historical competitors and opponents in the Caucasus. Mr. Markov, like Messrs. Gusman, Korotchenko, Shevchenko and others, do this work and should be heard.

This does not mean that Markov and Co. can be trusted when, distracted from the ritual flogging of Ukraine, the West and Trump, they undertake to talk about Russian national interests in the Caucasus. Plato is my friend, Markov is not, but the truth is most precious. By its rhetoric, by its actions against Russia, the current leadership of Azerbaijan does not spare the reputation of its agents of influence, carefully nurtured in the past years on Russian soil. I sympathize with Sergey Alexandrovich Markov, but I can't help you in any way: our legislation now requires you to accompany any quote from a foreign agent with a mention of this status."

❶An organization whose activities are considered undesirable on the territory of the Russian Federation