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December 17, 2014 at 11:05am
Posted by Arnold Layne in reference to Muscat’s visit to Baku:
There is a standing agreement within the EU that human rights issues should be raised by individual governments on behalf of the whole EU during meetings of this nature.
I would be grateful if a member of the press were to ask the Prime Minister (on his return, of course, because it seems that no Maltese journalists were invited this time around) whether he raised human rights issues while in Baku, as he is obliged to do as the leader of an EU member state.
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You sprung out of bed, after a late night, with added vigour this morning, dishing out sixteen posts on the trot. Seems like Martin Scicluna hasn’t dampened your spirit. On the contrary, I would say.
[Daphne – That’s because I have to get them out of the way before sorting the house out for the sons’ Christmas visit.]
The comment begs the question: what precludes Muscat from lying to the press and the EU like he usually does?
I am going insane at the thought of Muscat occupying the EU presidency. Thank God it’s only for six months.
Unfortunately for us though, they are here for longer than six months.
I wonder whether Muscat informed the Azerbaijan supremo that our power station was and STILL IS working with heavy fuel oil, albeit HE used to harp and insist that this was causing many cancer cases.
No, he didn’t raise human rights issues. He was too busy asking how many Maltese passports he was going to sell to the dictator.
What is that in front of Konrad on the table? A ready reckoner or a money discounter?
I reckon the head of the department of misinformation is having a look at his four-figure tables or a bank`s IBAN number.
Whatever things are, the picture still reminds me of the three wise men who came from the east along with their camel-holder.
I must admit that I do not know who of the four is who and who takes care of the camels.
Had the four-man delegation inquired about the situation of human rights in the Republican Monarchy of Azerbaijan, they would have been thrown into jail or, at best, instantly declared personae non gratae.
I attended three international conferences in Baku these last few years.
On each occasion, conference delegates were split into groups of 5 to 10 persons (presumably by language) and assigned a guide-helper-interpreter-watchman-whatever. In actual fact, the brief of that official was to keep an eye on the delegates as to where they went, what they did, who they spoke to. Your typical Soviet style.
In 2012, the guys slightly loosened their “surveillance” mechanism. The night before we left, I found on my hotel bed a huge bag containing five very expensive presents with the Aliyev family’s compliments.
The next day I worried that I might be stopped at the airport as I had left the Aliyev family’s presents in my hotel room.
Now, how much did Joseph, Konrad, Keith and Kurt get from their Azerbaijani escapade?
The PM did not even bother to carry his brief with him to the meeting, that is if he ever bothered about it in the first place.
And what sort of high-level meeting is it where the aide has to take notes?
This has all the hallmarks of negotiation, not a closing of the deal.
Pimps, thieves, scoundrels, and also liars.
i think kurt was sending an SMS saying that these are warning shots.