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LITHUANIAN MP'S GROUP FOR FRIENDSHIP WITH NAGORNYY KARABAKH ANGERS AZERBAIJAN
Lietuvos Rytas, Lithuania
March 26 2013
Interview with Dalia Kuodyte, chairperson of the parliamentary
group for friendship with Nagorno-Karabakh; "Moral Approach Does Not
Seek Profit"
The group for friendship with Nagorno-Karabakh established in the
Seimas [Lithuanian Parliament] has angered Azerbaijan. The Azerbaijani
Administration has summoned the Lithuanian ambassador to explain the
situation. The Azerbaijani ambassador has delivered a protest note
to Lithuania.
Baku has warned Vilnius that it views the parliamentary group for
friendship with Nagorno-Karabakh as a promotion of Armenian separatism
in the region, which, under international law, is part of Azerbaijan.
Reportedly, this could have a negative impact on bilateral relations.
After these warnings, the Conservative [Homeland Union-Lithuanian
Christian Democrats (TS-LKD)] group in the Seimas urged its members
Vaidevute Margeviciene and Kestutis Masiulis to withdraw from the
friendship with Nagorno-Karabakh group.
[Bartasevicius] Will the group still remain after Azerbaijan's warnings
and the Conservative group's pressure on its members who have joined
the Nagorno-Karabakh friendship group? (Lietuvos Rytas asked the
head of this group Dalia Kuodyte, member of the Liberal Union's [LLS]
parliamentary group in the Seimas).
[Kuodyte] The members have not left the group, it has 11 MPs.
Only one member - Margeviciene - obeyed the party's request and left
the group.
[Bartasevicius] And what about your party, the LLS, did it not call
on its parliamentary group members to withdraw from the friendship
with Nagorno-Karabakh group?
[Kuodyte] Our party leaders did not express any dissatisfaction
neither publicly nor in private.
I think that they understood correctly why three members of the LLS
parliamentary group decided to participate in the group's activities.
[Bartasevicius] When you invited the Nagorno-Karabakh foreign
minister to the event to commemorate the independence of Armenia
and when you created the friendship with Nagorno-Karabakh group,
you probably realized that it would anger Azerbaijan?
[Kuodyte] We did not invite the Nagorno-Karabakh foreign minister.
People from Armenia, including one person from Nagorno-Karabakh,
came to Lithuania at the invitation of the Lithuanian-Armenian Forum.
I do not see any reason for the hysteria if we host guests in the
Seimas. After all, we are members of parliament of a free country.
Of course Azerbaijan reacted, and it reacted rather negatively.
However, it happened because it did not evaluate the essence of
the situation.
Our event's declaration speaks exactly about a peaceful solution to
the Nagorno-Karabakh problem and about the need to develop cooperation
between the nations, and I think that all parties are interested
in that.
[Bartasevicius] In other words, you expected that the Azerbaijani
Government would analyze the essence of your event and the resolutions
more deeply, and that it would not get angry at all?
[Kuodyte] Honestly speaking, I did not hope for anything and did not
expect anything.
I simply did what I thought had to be done; this is my right of an
MP of a free country.
[Bartasevicius] Did you consult that with the Lithuanian Foreign
Ministry?
[Kuodyte] No, I did not consult anything with the Foreign Ministry,
and I do not think that I should have done this because the creation
of this group does not have any legal consequences.
It is very important to follow the principles. After all, we rebuilt
our state on the basis of self-determination of the nations. Speaking
about the Nagorno-Karabakh, we also say that it is necessary to find
such a solution to the conflict that would meet the aspirations and
interests of the people who live there.
This was not an international political action, it was an action
based on moral values.
We have a similar approach to Tibet even though China also always
protests every time this problem is mentioned. But do we really have
to be silent simply because we are afraid of protests?
I fully support human rights defender Sergey Kovalev's idea that
there is no greater lie than the so-called Realpolitik. Because of it,
we forget about moral values, human rights, and nations' rights.
[Box]
Moral Political Values Are Important
MP Kestutis Masiulis
"I have not talked with my party's leadership yet, and I do not
know the arguments why I cannot participate in the activities of
the friendship with Nagorno-Karabakh group. I do not know how this
group could harm our foreign policy. If I decide that these fears
are unfounded, I will continue working in the group.
"I became a member because I still remember the spirit of the
Sajudis [Lithuanian liberation movement]. Then we supported
Nagorno-Karabakh, adopted resolutions in defense of the Armenian
nation's self-determination. What has changed now that we cannot even
maintain friendly relations with the people of Nagorno-Karabakh?
"We do not always have to rely solely on the so-called Realpolitik
policy principles. We should not forget the moral political values. I
sympathize with Armenia and not with the [Azerbaijani President Ilham]
Aliyev's clan and the Azerbaijani 'democracy'."
[Translated from Lithuanian]
Lietuvos Rytas, Lithuania
March 26 2013
Interview with Dalia Kuodyte, chairperson of the parliamentary
group for friendship with Nagorno-Karabakh; "Moral Approach Does Not
Seek Profit"
The group for friendship with Nagorno-Karabakh established in the
Seimas [Lithuanian Parliament] has angered Azerbaijan. The Azerbaijani
Administration has summoned the Lithuanian ambassador to explain the
situation. The Azerbaijani ambassador has delivered a protest note
to Lithuania.
Baku has warned Vilnius that it views the parliamentary group for
friendship with Nagorno-Karabakh as a promotion of Armenian separatism
in the region, which, under international law, is part of Azerbaijan.
Reportedly, this could have a negative impact on bilateral relations.
After these warnings, the Conservative [Homeland Union-Lithuanian
Christian Democrats (TS-LKD)] group in the Seimas urged its members
Vaidevute Margeviciene and Kestutis Masiulis to withdraw from the
friendship with Nagorno-Karabakh group.
[Bartasevicius] Will the group still remain after Azerbaijan's warnings
and the Conservative group's pressure on its members who have joined
the Nagorno-Karabakh friendship group? (Lietuvos Rytas asked the
head of this group Dalia Kuodyte, member of the Liberal Union's [LLS]
parliamentary group in the Seimas).
[Kuodyte] The members have not left the group, it has 11 MPs.
Only one member - Margeviciene - obeyed the party's request and left
the group.
[Bartasevicius] And what about your party, the LLS, did it not call
on its parliamentary group members to withdraw from the friendship
with Nagorno-Karabakh group?
[Kuodyte] Our party leaders did not express any dissatisfaction
neither publicly nor in private.
I think that they understood correctly why three members of the LLS
parliamentary group decided to participate in the group's activities.
[Bartasevicius] When you invited the Nagorno-Karabakh foreign
minister to the event to commemorate the independence of Armenia
and when you created the friendship with Nagorno-Karabakh group,
you probably realized that it would anger Azerbaijan?
[Kuodyte] We did not invite the Nagorno-Karabakh foreign minister.
People from Armenia, including one person from Nagorno-Karabakh,
came to Lithuania at the invitation of the Lithuanian-Armenian Forum.
I do not see any reason for the hysteria if we host guests in the
Seimas. After all, we are members of parliament of a free country.
Of course Azerbaijan reacted, and it reacted rather negatively.
However, it happened because it did not evaluate the essence of
the situation.
Our event's declaration speaks exactly about a peaceful solution to
the Nagorno-Karabakh problem and about the need to develop cooperation
between the nations, and I think that all parties are interested
in that.
[Bartasevicius] In other words, you expected that the Azerbaijani
Government would analyze the essence of your event and the resolutions
more deeply, and that it would not get angry at all?
[Kuodyte] Honestly speaking, I did not hope for anything and did not
expect anything.
I simply did what I thought had to be done; this is my right of an
MP of a free country.
[Bartasevicius] Did you consult that with the Lithuanian Foreign
Ministry?
[Kuodyte] No, I did not consult anything with the Foreign Ministry,
and I do not think that I should have done this because the creation
of this group does not have any legal consequences.
It is very important to follow the principles. After all, we rebuilt
our state on the basis of self-determination of the nations. Speaking
about the Nagorno-Karabakh, we also say that it is necessary to find
such a solution to the conflict that would meet the aspirations and
interests of the people who live there.
This was not an international political action, it was an action
based on moral values.
We have a similar approach to Tibet even though China also always
protests every time this problem is mentioned. But do we really have
to be silent simply because we are afraid of protests?
I fully support human rights defender Sergey Kovalev's idea that
there is no greater lie than the so-called Realpolitik. Because of it,
we forget about moral values, human rights, and nations' rights.
[Box]
Moral Political Values Are Important
MP Kestutis Masiulis
"I have not talked with my party's leadership yet, and I do not
know the arguments why I cannot participate in the activities of
the friendship with Nagorno-Karabakh group. I do not know how this
group could harm our foreign policy. If I decide that these fears
are unfounded, I will continue working in the group.
"I became a member because I still remember the spirit of the
Sajudis [Lithuanian liberation movement]. Then we supported
Nagorno-Karabakh, adopted resolutions in defense of the Armenian
nation's self-determination. What has changed now that we cannot even
maintain friendly relations with the people of Nagorno-Karabakh?
"We do not always have to rely solely on the so-called Realpolitik
policy principles. We should not forget the moral political values. I
sympathize with Armenia and not with the [Azerbaijani President Ilham]
Aliyev's clan and the Azerbaijani 'democracy'."
[Translated from Lithuanian]