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Russian Official Plays Down MPs' Karabakh Trip

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  • Russian Official Plays Down MPs' Karabakh Trip

    RUSSIAN OFFICIAL PLAYS DOWN MPS' KARABAKH TRIP

    news.az
    June 1 2010
    Azerbaijan

    Svetlana Orlova A Russian parliamentary official has stressed that
    the visit by Russian MPs to monitor elections in Karabakh was private,
    not official.

    The deputy speaker of the Azerbaijani parliament, Valeh Alasgarov,
    described the decision of Russian deputies to attend elections in the
    unrecognized republic of Nagorno-Karabakh as a sin, while the deputy
    speaker of Russia's Federation Council, Svetlana Orlova, said that
    this was a personal initiative by members of the Duma rather than an
    official delegation.

    Elections to the national assembly of Nagorno-Karabakh were held on
    23 May. The elections were observed by more than 110 international
    observers, who described them as 'free, independent and transparent'.

    The Central Election Commission of Azerbaijan said the elections
    were 'illegitimate', while the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry on 26
    May declared five Duma deputies personae non grata for their role
    as election monitors. The black list includes Konstantin Zatulin,
    Igor Chernyshenko, Kirill Cherkasov, Tatyana Volozhinskaya and Maxim
    Mishchenko. The list also includes citizens of France, Germany,
    Argentina, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and other countries.

    'It is outrageous, of course, this is unacceptable, but it's a sin
    on the souls of those who do not think about Azerbaijan, they do
    not think, I am quite sure, even about the interests of Russia,'
    Alasgarov told RIA Novosti yesterday.

    He said that 'the actions of individuals, whoever they may be,
    citizens of Russia or not, cannot have an adverse affect on relations
    between the Azerbaijan Republic and the Russian Federation or between
    our parliaments.'

    'I shall confine myself to this, although I do have something to say,'
    the Azerbaijani politician said.

    In turn, the vice-speaker of the Federation Council said that the
    deputies had gone at their personal initiative, and Russia had not
    sent an official delegation.

    'Russia did not send an official delegation and the visit by some
    deputies is a matter for their conscience,' Orlova said.




    From: A. Papazian
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