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Baltic News Service / - BNS
March 16, 2013 Saturday 9:13 AM EET
Azerbaijani parlt calls for abolition of Lithuanian friendship group
with Nagorno Karabakh
VILNIUS, Mar 16, BNS - Chairman of Interparliamentary Friendship Group
with Lithuania at Azerbaijani parliament Fuad Muradov has urged the
Lithuanian parliament to abolish its group for parliamentary
friendship with the unrecognized Republic of Nagorno Karabakh.
Azerbaijan's news agency APA said Muradov sent a message on behalf of
the group to Juras Pozela, chairman of Interparliamentary Friendship
Group with Azerbaijan at the Lithuanian Seimas and its members.
"We believe that supporting our right position basing on the
international law, our colleagues at the Lithuanian Seimas will
demonstrate determination towards the abolishment of the group and
make valuable contributions to further preserving and developing close
relations between our countries and parliaments. We are sure that our
proposal on the abolishment of the group will be considered and the
activity of such a group, which doesn't serve the strengthening of
peace and security in the region, will be stopped," reads the address.
"We consider that this step taken for the interests of some
anti-Azerbaijani forces and Armenian Diaspora is contrary to the
international policy and legal norms. This biased and false step taken
by the Lithuanian Seimas is not line with the current friendly
relations between Azerbaijan and Lithuania and undermines these
relations," Mudarov said.
The Azerbaijani news agency also cited Lithuania's Ambassador in Baku
Arturas Zurauskas as emphasizing that initiatives taken by some
Lithuanian MPs to start friendship groups with Nagorno Karabakh were
out of line with the official Vilnius position.
"Each member of the Lithuanian Seimas has right to put forward an
initiative. However, the initiative on the establishment of friendship
group with Nagorno Karabakh is contrary to the position of the
Lithuanian Seimas and government," the Lithuanian diplomat said.
"Only those who have put forward this initiative can explain the
reasons of the establishment of such a group," Zurauskas said.
In the end of February, An event was held at the Seimas earlier this
week and the Nagorno Karabakh's foreign minister attended it. It was
decided at the event to establish a friendship group with Nagorno
Karabakh.
Initiator of the group, Liberal MP Dalia Kuodyte, told BNS the group
was not founded to support Nagorno Karabakh's independence but,
instead, to pursue friendship with the unrecognized republic. Kuodyte
said there was no contradiction to the official foreign policies of
Lithuania.
Azerbaijan's ambassador later handed a note to the Lithuanian Foreign
Ministry over the initiative, stating it "can have a negative impact
on our bilateral relations."
With support from Armenia's capital Yerevan, ethnic Armenian
separatists took control over Nagorno Karabakh during the war in the
last decade of the 20th century, which killed about 30,000 people. No
countries have recognized Nagorno Karabakh's independence, the
international community deems the region part of Azerbaijan.
Azerbaijan has repeatedly threatened to get back control over Nagorno
Karabakh by force.
March 16, 2013 Saturday 9:13 AM EET
Azerbaijani parlt calls for abolition of Lithuanian friendship group
with Nagorno Karabakh
VILNIUS, Mar 16, BNS - Chairman of Interparliamentary Friendship Group
with Lithuania at Azerbaijani parliament Fuad Muradov has urged the
Lithuanian parliament to abolish its group for parliamentary
friendship with the unrecognized Republic of Nagorno Karabakh.
Azerbaijan's news agency APA said Muradov sent a message on behalf of
the group to Juras Pozela, chairman of Interparliamentary Friendship
Group with Azerbaijan at the Lithuanian Seimas and its members.
"We believe that supporting our right position basing on the
international law, our colleagues at the Lithuanian Seimas will
demonstrate determination towards the abolishment of the group and
make valuable contributions to further preserving and developing close
relations between our countries and parliaments. We are sure that our
proposal on the abolishment of the group will be considered and the
activity of such a group, which doesn't serve the strengthening of
peace and security in the region, will be stopped," reads the address.
"We consider that this step taken for the interests of some
anti-Azerbaijani forces and Armenian Diaspora is contrary to the
international policy and legal norms. This biased and false step taken
by the Lithuanian Seimas is not line with the current friendly
relations between Azerbaijan and Lithuania and undermines these
relations," Mudarov said.
The Azerbaijani news agency also cited Lithuania's Ambassador in Baku
Arturas Zurauskas as emphasizing that initiatives taken by some
Lithuanian MPs to start friendship groups with Nagorno Karabakh were
out of line with the official Vilnius position.
"Each member of the Lithuanian Seimas has right to put forward an
initiative. However, the initiative on the establishment of friendship
group with Nagorno Karabakh is contrary to the position of the
Lithuanian Seimas and government," the Lithuanian diplomat said.
"Only those who have put forward this initiative can explain the
reasons of the establishment of such a group," Zurauskas said.
In the end of February, An event was held at the Seimas earlier this
week and the Nagorno Karabakh's foreign minister attended it. It was
decided at the event to establish a friendship group with Nagorno
Karabakh.
Initiator of the group, Liberal MP Dalia Kuodyte, told BNS the group
was not founded to support Nagorno Karabakh's independence but,
instead, to pursue friendship with the unrecognized republic. Kuodyte
said there was no contradiction to the official foreign policies of
Lithuania.
Azerbaijan's ambassador later handed a note to the Lithuanian Foreign
Ministry over the initiative, stating it "can have a negative impact
on our bilateral relations."
With support from Armenia's capital Yerevan, ethnic Armenian
separatists took control over Nagorno Karabakh during the war in the
last decade of the 20th century, which killed about 30,000 people. No
countries have recognized Nagorno Karabakh's independence, the
international community deems the region part of Azerbaijan.
Azerbaijan has repeatedly threatened to get back control over Nagorno
Karabakh by force.