Day: September 19, 2025

I have been invited to the Athens Democracy Forum.

The Athens Democracy Forum is organized by the Democracy and Culture Foundation, in partnership with The New York Times and under the patronage of the President of the Hellenic Republic.

At the Athens Democracy Forum, real solutions to the most pressing challenges facing democracy will be discussed with leaders from government, business, and civil society.

The Democracy Forum will take place in Athens, the capital of Greece, from September 30 to October 3, 2025.

Friends, as you know, I have previously been invited to the Warsaw Security Forum and the Riga Conference. Those forums and conferences are mainly dedicated to discussions on security issues in the European continent.

The Athens Democracy Forum, however—as its name suggests—is a prestigious international forum where solutions to the challenges confronting democracy are discussed.

Unfortunately, the Azerbaijani authorities continue to fight their political opponent in an uncivilized manner, through bans and restrictions. My letter to the Prosecutor General of the Republic requesting the lifting of the passport ban against me has still not been answered. Meanwhile, the dates of these conferences are approaching.

I call on the Azerbaijani authorities to lift the passport ban that has been imposed on me for 20 years.

If the Azerbaijani authorities once again refuse to issue me a passport and prevent my participation in these important international events, they will be openly admitting—not only before our people but also before the international community—that they are unable to compete with their opponent through political and legal means, that they see the strengthening of their rival’s international ties as a threat, and that they themselves know very well they would lose in a fair and civilized competition.

— AliKarimli (@AliKarimli) Sep 19, 2025