ANCA Says Minsk Group's False Symmetry Undermines Prospects For Peace
http://asbarez.com/106982/anca-says-minsk-group%E2%80%99s-false-symmetry-undermines-prospects-for-peace/
Friday, December 7th, 2012 | Posted by Contributor
OSCE Ministerial summit convened in Dublin this week
WASHINGTON - Armenian National Committee of AmericaExecutive Director
Aram Hamparian expressed regret at the latest statement by the Heads
of Delegation of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in
Europe (OSCE) Minsk Group Co-Chair countries in Dublin, Ireland, this
week which demonstrated an artificial even-handedness toward
Azerbaijan and Armenia, with no mention of the ongoing Aliyev
government's aggression against Armenia and glorification of
anti-Armenian attacks, including the praise and promotion of convicted
Azerbaijani axe-murderer Ramil Safarov.
Hamparian's complete statement is available below:
`The Heads of Delegation of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair countries do
a disservice to the cause of peace by, once again, seeking to impose a
false symmetry on the Nagorno Karabakh situation.'
`For all their patently political and artificial attempts at
evenhandedness, the facts on the ground are undeniable: Azerbaijan is
the party that started, and lost, a war aimed at destroying democracy
in Artsakh and preventing self-determination for the people of this
proud Republic. It is Azerbaijan that regularly commits fatal
cross-border attacks, and is threatening to use its rapidly expanding
arsenal of arms to restart its open aggression and plunge the region
into conflict. It is Baku, not Yerevan, that is rejecting
international calls to pull back its snipers and deploy more OSCE
observers, and that is vetoing the participation of the Republic of
Nagorno Karabakh - the key stakeholder in any enduring settlement -
from full participation in the peace process.'
`It is an act of undeserved charity to the Azerbaijani regime of Ilham
Aliyev to call on both parties to refrain from acts of enmity, when
the record shows that the only state-sponsored incitement to hatred
has come from Baku - through both words and actions. Examples include
Azerbaijan's cross-border, fatal attacks on Armenia during Secretary
Clinton's visit this summer to the region, as well as the Azerbaijani
military's documented destruction and desecration of the Armenian
cemetery in Djulfa. More recently, of course, was President Ilham
Aliyev's pardon and promotion of an unapologetic axe-murderer, Ramil
Safarov, who is, today, hailed as a hero in Azerbaijan for killing an
Armenian officer, Gurgen Margaryan, while he slept, during a 2004 NATO
training exercise in Hungary.'
`Inventing a pretend parity between the parties may serve some
political purpose, but, sadly, such contrived statements by the OSCE
Minsk Group do nothing to advance the cause of peace.'
http://asbarez.com/106982/anca-says-minsk-group%E2%80%99s-false-symmetry-undermines-prospects-for-peace/
Friday, December 7th, 2012 | Posted by Contributor
OSCE Ministerial summit convened in Dublin this week
WASHINGTON - Armenian National Committee of AmericaExecutive Director
Aram Hamparian expressed regret at the latest statement by the Heads
of Delegation of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in
Europe (OSCE) Minsk Group Co-Chair countries in Dublin, Ireland, this
week which demonstrated an artificial even-handedness toward
Azerbaijan and Armenia, with no mention of the ongoing Aliyev
government's aggression against Armenia and glorification of
anti-Armenian attacks, including the praise and promotion of convicted
Azerbaijani axe-murderer Ramil Safarov.
Hamparian's complete statement is available below:
`The Heads of Delegation of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair countries do
a disservice to the cause of peace by, once again, seeking to impose a
false symmetry on the Nagorno Karabakh situation.'
`For all their patently political and artificial attempts at
evenhandedness, the facts on the ground are undeniable: Azerbaijan is
the party that started, and lost, a war aimed at destroying democracy
in Artsakh and preventing self-determination for the people of this
proud Republic. It is Azerbaijan that regularly commits fatal
cross-border attacks, and is threatening to use its rapidly expanding
arsenal of arms to restart its open aggression and plunge the region
into conflict. It is Baku, not Yerevan, that is rejecting
international calls to pull back its snipers and deploy more OSCE
observers, and that is vetoing the participation of the Republic of
Nagorno Karabakh - the key stakeholder in any enduring settlement -
from full participation in the peace process.'
`It is an act of undeserved charity to the Azerbaijani regime of Ilham
Aliyev to call on both parties to refrain from acts of enmity, when
the record shows that the only state-sponsored incitement to hatred
has come from Baku - through both words and actions. Examples include
Azerbaijan's cross-border, fatal attacks on Armenia during Secretary
Clinton's visit this summer to the region, as well as the Azerbaijani
military's documented destruction and desecration of the Armenian
cemetery in Djulfa. More recently, of course, was President Ilham
Aliyev's pardon and promotion of an unapologetic axe-murderer, Ramil
Safarov, who is, today, hailed as a hero in Azerbaijan for killing an
Armenian officer, Gurgen Margaryan, while he slept, during a 2004 NATO
training exercise in Hungary.'
`Inventing a pretend parity between the parties may serve some
political purpose, but, sadly, such contrived statements by the OSCE
Minsk Group do nothing to advance the cause of peace.'