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Baltic News Service / - BNS
March 14, 2013 Thursday 12:58 PM EET
Friendship group with Nagorno Karabakh officially presented at Lithuanian parlt
VILNIUS, Mar 14, BNS - An official announcement was made at the
plenary meeting of the Lithuanian parliament on Thursday about
founding of a friendship group with the unrecognized republic of
Nagorno Karabakh.
Vytautas Gapsys of the ruling Labor Party who presided over the
meeting read a statement about formation of the group, inviting
parliamentarians to join. He also announced the planned maiden meeting
of the group.
Lithuania's former foreign minister Audronius Azubalis of the
opposition Conservatives expressed indignation, saying the move would
affect the country's official foreign policy. Azerbaijan's ambassador
to Lithuania has handed a note to Lithuania over the group as a
potential threat to bilateral relations.
"The document you just read is against the Seimas board, the statute
and recommendations of the (parliamentary) Foreign Affairs Committee.
The Seimas establishes groups for interparliamentary relations with
countries, which enjoy international recognition. In this case, such
group cannot be founded in the Seimas, as such things put our
parliament and Lithuania in a very odd situation, we become the field
of games and confrontations between national minorities in the
Caucasian region," Azubalis said.
One of the founders of the group, Dangute Mikutiene of the ruling
Labor Party, said the parliament had more groups of friendship with
unrecognized regions that include members of the Conservatives.
"Lithuania is a democratic country, a mandate of a Seimas member is
free, Seimas members are free to be friends with parliaments of other
countries, even if they haven't been officially recognized. Should I
give you a list where members of your political group signed - Cuba,
Taiwan, Chechnya, Tibet?," Mikutiene asked rhetorically.
With support from Armenia's capital Yerevan, ethnic Armenian
separatists took control over Nagorno Karabakh during the war in the
last decade o0f 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 14, 2013 Thursday 12:58 PM EET
Friendship group with Nagorno Karabakh officially presented at Lithuanian parlt
VILNIUS, Mar 14, BNS - An official announcement was made at the
plenary meeting of the Lithuanian parliament on Thursday about
founding of a friendship group with the unrecognized republic of
Nagorno Karabakh.
Vytautas Gapsys of the ruling Labor Party who presided over the
meeting read a statement about formation of the group, inviting
parliamentarians to join. He also announced the planned maiden meeting
of the group.
Lithuania's former foreign minister Audronius Azubalis of the
opposition Conservatives expressed indignation, saying the move would
affect the country's official foreign policy. Azerbaijan's ambassador
to Lithuania has handed a note to Lithuania over the group as a
potential threat to bilateral relations.
"The document you just read is against the Seimas board, the statute
and recommendations of the (parliamentary) Foreign Affairs Committee.
The Seimas establishes groups for interparliamentary relations with
countries, which enjoy international recognition. In this case, such
group cannot be founded in the Seimas, as such things put our
parliament and Lithuania in a very odd situation, we become the field
of games and confrontations between national minorities in the
Caucasian region," Azubalis said.
One of the founders of the group, Dangute Mikutiene of the ruling
Labor Party, said the parliament had more groups of friendship with
unrecognized regions that include members of the Conservatives.
"Lithuania is a democratic country, a mandate of a Seimas member is
free, Seimas members are free to be friends with parliaments of other
countries, even if they haven't been officially recognized. Should I
give you a list where members of your political group signed - Cuba,
Taiwan, Chechnya, Tibet?," Mikutiene asked rhetorically.
With support from Armenia's capital Yerevan, ethnic Armenian
separatists took control over Nagorno Karabakh during the war in the
last decade o0f 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.