AZERBAIJANI BELLIGERENT RHETORIC AND WAR THREATS INTENSIFIED - ARMENIAN PRESIDENT AT UN
news.am
Sept 23 2011
Armenia
NEW YORK. - The time has come for seriously considering the exercise
of the people's right to self-determination in the 21st century. We
are today witnessing new cases of the exercise of this inalienable
right, Armenia's President Serzh Sargsyan stated at the UN 66th session
"I would like to congratulate the newly-elected 193rd member of the
United Nations Organization, the Republic of South Sudan. Its path to
having a place in this August hall has been long and difficult, but the
people of South Sudan, through the free expression of will, exercised
their right to live sovereignty and independently, thus crossing the
path that many of the UN member states present here today have crossed.
The people of Nagorno-Karabakh made the same choice two decades ago
by exercising their right to self-determination, by withstanding the
war unleashed by Azerbaijan, and surviving bloodshed to earn their
right to live in freedom.
The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement talks are continuing with
the mediation of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs. We are grateful to
the co-chair countries and their leaders for their mediation efforts.
However, the mediators cannot reach an agreement in place of the
negotiating parties.
Azerbaijan's utter unwillingness to reach an agreement and its
"everything or war" position have stalled progress in the peace talks.
Despite the expectations and the high-level advice from the
international community, Azerbaijan took yet another step back during
the last meeting in Kazan by rejecting the previously elaborated
arrangement and trying, in fact, to break down the negotiation process.
Baku has turned armenophobia into state propaganda, at a level that
is far beyond dangerous. It is not only our assessment; the alarm
has also been sounded by international structures specializing in
combating racism and intolerance. Even more dangerously, armenophobic
ideas are spread among the young Azerbaijani generation, imperiling
the future of peaceful coexistence.
By denying and destroying all that is Armenian, Baku stubbornly
continues to disseminate false accusations against Armenia,
Nagorno-Karabakh, and the Armenians at all levels everywhere, including
here, within the framework of the UN. The Azerbaijani propaganda
machine continues regularly to overwhelm the international community
and the domestic audience with horrendous lies about the so-called
"Armenian brutality" and the killings of children. These stories are
fabricated and disseminated using a trite yet painful logic, whereby
their authors believe that some people out there will rise to the bait
of this black PR against Armenia, and it will thus serve a purpose.
In recent years, owing to the efforts of the Minsk Group co-chair
countries, particularly the direct mediation by the President of the
Russian Federation, a number of documents have been signed, including
the Meindorf, Astrakhan, and Sochi Declarations, which have stressed
the need to strengthen the confidence-building measures between the
parties. The signature of the President of Azerbaijan also stands on
those documents.
Azerbaijan, however, continues to turn down the repeated proposals
by the international community concerning agreement on the non-use
of force and strengthening the confidence-building measures.
Moreover, the belligerent rhetoric and war threats uttered by
Azerbaijan have intensified and ceasefire violations have grown more
frequent, continuing to deprive of life innocent civilians. All of
this is orchestrated from the highest state level.
The dangerous rise in manifestations of armenophobia not only fails to
contribute to an atmosphere of trust in the region, but also leads to
questions about Azerbaijan's understanding of the goals of the United
Nations to practice tolerance and live together in peace with one
another as good neighbors. Aspiring for membership in the Security
Council of the UN with such an understanding is impermissible and
even dangerous.
From: A. Papazian
news.am
Sept 23 2011
Armenia
NEW YORK. - The time has come for seriously considering the exercise
of the people's right to self-determination in the 21st century. We
are today witnessing new cases of the exercise of this inalienable
right, Armenia's President Serzh Sargsyan stated at the UN 66th session
"I would like to congratulate the newly-elected 193rd member of the
United Nations Organization, the Republic of South Sudan. Its path to
having a place in this August hall has been long and difficult, but the
people of South Sudan, through the free expression of will, exercised
their right to live sovereignty and independently, thus crossing the
path that many of the UN member states present here today have crossed.
The people of Nagorno-Karabakh made the same choice two decades ago
by exercising their right to self-determination, by withstanding the
war unleashed by Azerbaijan, and surviving bloodshed to earn their
right to live in freedom.
The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement talks are continuing with
the mediation of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs. We are grateful to
the co-chair countries and their leaders for their mediation efforts.
However, the mediators cannot reach an agreement in place of the
negotiating parties.
Azerbaijan's utter unwillingness to reach an agreement and its
"everything or war" position have stalled progress in the peace talks.
Despite the expectations and the high-level advice from the
international community, Azerbaijan took yet another step back during
the last meeting in Kazan by rejecting the previously elaborated
arrangement and trying, in fact, to break down the negotiation process.
Baku has turned armenophobia into state propaganda, at a level that
is far beyond dangerous. It is not only our assessment; the alarm
has also been sounded by international structures specializing in
combating racism and intolerance. Even more dangerously, armenophobic
ideas are spread among the young Azerbaijani generation, imperiling
the future of peaceful coexistence.
By denying and destroying all that is Armenian, Baku stubbornly
continues to disseminate false accusations against Armenia,
Nagorno-Karabakh, and the Armenians at all levels everywhere, including
here, within the framework of the UN. The Azerbaijani propaganda
machine continues regularly to overwhelm the international community
and the domestic audience with horrendous lies about the so-called
"Armenian brutality" and the killings of children. These stories are
fabricated and disseminated using a trite yet painful logic, whereby
their authors believe that some people out there will rise to the bait
of this black PR against Armenia, and it will thus serve a purpose.
In recent years, owing to the efforts of the Minsk Group co-chair
countries, particularly the direct mediation by the President of the
Russian Federation, a number of documents have been signed, including
the Meindorf, Astrakhan, and Sochi Declarations, which have stressed
the need to strengthen the confidence-building measures between the
parties. The signature of the President of Azerbaijan also stands on
those documents.
Azerbaijan, however, continues to turn down the repeated proposals
by the international community concerning agreement on the non-use
of force and strengthening the confidence-building measures.
Moreover, the belligerent rhetoric and war threats uttered by
Azerbaijan have intensified and ceasefire violations have grown more
frequent, continuing to deprive of life innocent civilians. All of
this is orchestrated from the highest state level.
The dangerous rise in manifestations of armenophobia not only fails to
contribute to an atmosphere of trust in the region, but also leads to
questions about Azerbaijan's understanding of the goals of the United
Nations to practice tolerance and live together in peace with one
another as good neighbors. Aspiring for membership in the Security
Council of the UN with such an understanding is impermissible and
even dangerous.
From: A. Papazian