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news.az, Azerbaijan
May 5 2011
Baku responds in kind to Armenian criticism
Thu 05 May 2011 11:57 GMT | 14:57 Local Time
A senior Azerbaijani official has dismissed accusations from the
Armenian president that Baku is looking to start war over
Nagorno-Karabakh.
Novruz Mammadov, head of the international affairs department at the
Azerbaijani Presidential Administration, said that Armenian President
Serzh Sargsyan was giving misinformation when he claimed that Baku was
protracting resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and seeking a
pretext to resume hostilities.
Serzh Sargsyan made the remarks at a press conference in Yerevan with
visiting Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite.
Novruz Mammadov told 1news.az that it was Armenia that was dragging
out the peace process, not Azerbaijan.
`I believe Sargsyan's unrealistic statement is a part of the
destructive and unscrupulous policies pursued by Armenia in the
region. Whenever there are grounds to more forward on a peaceful
resolution of the conflict, the Armenian side immediately resorts to
machinations to thwart the negotiating process.
`The fact is that in recent weeks the OSCE co-chairs and other
interested international parties have noted the presence of an
atmosphere conducive to promoting peace negotiations. The Armenian
leadership is trying to exacerbate the situation and undermine the
dialogue. Armenia does this whenever there are favourable conditions
to solve the conflict."
Mammadov commented on Serzh Sargsyan's role in the Armenian forces
that fought in Karabakh.
"It is lamentable that the Armenian leader speaks of peace when he
personally participated in the occupation of Azerbaijani lands and now
initiates military exercises in the occupied territories."
`Sargsyan spoke about peacemaking at a time when Armenian snipers are
deployed along the Armenian-Azerbaijani border and front line, and
after an Armenian sniper killed a 9-year-old Azerbaijani boy,'
Mammadov said, referring to the death of Fariz Badalov, killed on 8
March as he played outside his home near the front line.
`Sargsyan dares to say that Azerbaijan makes belligerent and
provocative rhetoric, creating tension,' Mammadov said.
He thought that Sargsyan talked about bellicose rhetoric from Baku as
the Armenian authorities feared possible war with Azerbaijan.
`My long-term research has taught me that the key reasons for the many
troubles facing Armenia and its authorities are that they are unable
to analyse ongoing events in the world and region. This inability is a
source of constant anxiety and uncertainty for them. It has even
reached the point when Armenian leaders consider the continued
occupation of Azerbaijani lands as normal and legal. This is despite
the Armenian president having signed many international documents on
the inadmissibility of occupation,' the Azerbaijani official said.
"The tragedy of the Armenian side is that while continuing the
occupation of Azerbaijani land, the leaders of Armenia shamelessly
think it possible to talk about regional cooperation, peace and
neighbourliness. The Baltic countries, as well as the president of
Lithuania who is visiting Yerevan, are well aware that the occupation
policy pursued by Armenia is a source of tension and conflict in the
Caucasus. And they see that Armenia and its people are on the verge of
poverty and collapse as a result of this occupation policy. Armenia is
lagging dozens of years behind and this process continues.
"The Armenian government is afraid that one day Azerbaijan will regain
its occupied lands and Armenian leaders will be held accountable for
their crimes and atrocities,' Mammadov said.
1 news.az
From: A. Papazian
May 5 2011
Baku responds in kind to Armenian criticism
Thu 05 May 2011 11:57 GMT | 14:57 Local Time
A senior Azerbaijani official has dismissed accusations from the
Armenian president that Baku is looking to start war over
Nagorno-Karabakh.
Novruz Mammadov, head of the international affairs department at the
Azerbaijani Presidential Administration, said that Armenian President
Serzh Sargsyan was giving misinformation when he claimed that Baku was
protracting resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and seeking a
pretext to resume hostilities.
Serzh Sargsyan made the remarks at a press conference in Yerevan with
visiting Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite.
Novruz Mammadov told 1news.az that it was Armenia that was dragging
out the peace process, not Azerbaijan.
`I believe Sargsyan's unrealistic statement is a part of the
destructive and unscrupulous policies pursued by Armenia in the
region. Whenever there are grounds to more forward on a peaceful
resolution of the conflict, the Armenian side immediately resorts to
machinations to thwart the negotiating process.
`The fact is that in recent weeks the OSCE co-chairs and other
interested international parties have noted the presence of an
atmosphere conducive to promoting peace negotiations. The Armenian
leadership is trying to exacerbate the situation and undermine the
dialogue. Armenia does this whenever there are favourable conditions
to solve the conflict."
Mammadov commented on Serzh Sargsyan's role in the Armenian forces
that fought in Karabakh.
"It is lamentable that the Armenian leader speaks of peace when he
personally participated in the occupation of Azerbaijani lands and now
initiates military exercises in the occupied territories."
`Sargsyan spoke about peacemaking at a time when Armenian snipers are
deployed along the Armenian-Azerbaijani border and front line, and
after an Armenian sniper killed a 9-year-old Azerbaijani boy,'
Mammadov said, referring to the death of Fariz Badalov, killed on 8
March as he played outside his home near the front line.
`Sargsyan dares to say that Azerbaijan makes belligerent and
provocative rhetoric, creating tension,' Mammadov said.
He thought that Sargsyan talked about bellicose rhetoric from Baku as
the Armenian authorities feared possible war with Azerbaijan.
`My long-term research has taught me that the key reasons for the many
troubles facing Armenia and its authorities are that they are unable
to analyse ongoing events in the world and region. This inability is a
source of constant anxiety and uncertainty for them. It has even
reached the point when Armenian leaders consider the continued
occupation of Azerbaijani lands as normal and legal. This is despite
the Armenian president having signed many international documents on
the inadmissibility of occupation,' the Azerbaijani official said.
"The tragedy of the Armenian side is that while continuing the
occupation of Azerbaijani land, the leaders of Armenia shamelessly
think it possible to talk about regional cooperation, peace and
neighbourliness. The Baltic countries, as well as the president of
Lithuania who is visiting Yerevan, are well aware that the occupation
policy pursued by Armenia is a source of tension and conflict in the
Caucasus. And they see that Armenia and its people are on the verge of
poverty and collapse as a result of this occupation policy. Armenia is
lagging dozens of years behind and this process continues.
"The Armenian government is afraid that one day Azerbaijan will regain
its occupied lands and Armenian leaders will be held accountable for
their crimes and atrocities,' Mammadov said.
1 news.az
From: A. Papazian