Trend, Azerbaijan
Sept 19 2012
Foreign Ministry: Unlike Armenia, Azerbaijan is safe place for
multi-ethnic population and visitors
Azerbaijan, Baku, Sept.19 / Trend, E.Tariverdiyeva /
Provocative and untrue statements of Armenian Foreign Minister Edward
Nalbandian, who uses primitive tricks in his expressions to blacken
Azerbaijan, cast doubt on his professional skills as a diplomat,
Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry Spokesman Elman Abdullayev told Trend by
commenting on Nalbandian’s recent statements.
At a joint press conference with UK Minister for Europe David
Lidington Nalbandian has expressed concern that Azerbaijan threatens
security of the Nagorno-Karabakh residents.
“Representative of Armenia, on the instructions of whose leadership
their snipers shoot at innocent people, women and organize terror
attacks against children, has no moral right to make idle accusations
against Azerbaijan,” Abdullayev said.
He said as in the Soviet time, today Azerbaijan is also proud of its
multiethnic culture and tolerance.
In the international arena, Azerbaijan has always been initiator of
events on intercultural and interethnic dialogue, Abdullayev said.
“Unlike Armenia, Azerbaijan has always been a safe place for its
multi-ethnic population and for visitors,” Abdullayev said.
Thus, according to Abdullayev, after terrible ethnic cleansing
committed by Armenian leadership, and after expulsion of other
nationalities, namely Armenia became a mono-ethnic country, and that
fact speaks for itself.
“How the minister of the country, government of which constantly
repeat that the Azerbaijanis and Armenians are incompatible and that
the genocide in Khojaly was a demonstration of what Armenia is ready
to do to achieve its goals, can speak about the security,” Abdullayev
said.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988
when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian
armed forces have occupied 20 per cent of Azerbaijan since 1992,
including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.
Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The
co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group – Russia, France and the U.S. – are
currently holding peace negotiations.
Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council’s four
resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the
surrounding regions.
From: Baghdasarian