Azerbaijan is an Aggressor Country: Renowned Astronaut Refuses to Attend International Congress in Baku

American renowned astronaut Garrett Reisman has refused to attend the International Astronautical Congress scheduled to be held in Baku. He made several posts on his Twitter account in response to the announcement by the International Astronautical Federation (IAF) regarding participation in the Baku congress.

“Why is the International Astronautical Congress (IAC) being held in Azerbaijan—a country that is guilty of recent military aggression against its neighbor Armenia? Azerbaijan is one of the most corrupt countries that has some of the worst human rights records in Europe. I will not attend the congress; if you are going, please reconsider your position,” he wrote.

Reisman also shared reports from Freedom House, Reporters Without Borders, and Transparency International, noting, “The military aggression started last September and has been condemned by the European Parliament. In Freedom House's latest report, Azerbaijan is listed in a quadrilateral connection with Russia, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan as one of the most corrupt countries in Europe and Central Asia.”

“Reporters Without Borders ranks Azerbaijan 154th out of 180 countries in the Press Freedom Index (just one spot ahead of Russia, congratulations Azerbaijan). Transparency International classifies Azerbaijan 128th out of 180 countries in their current corruption perception index, again only one place higher than Russia,” Reisman wrote.

The International Astronautical Congress is scheduled to take place in Baku this October.