Azeri President Uses Platform at UN Security Council to Revile Armenia
Posted on May 11, 2012 by Editor
By Florence Avakian
Special to the Mirror-Spectator
UNITED NATIONS – Lies, distortions and propaganda took center stage on
Friday, May 4, as Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev addressed the
topic of `anti- terrorism’ before the United Nations Security Council
and accused Armenia of `terrorism against civilians, military
aggression and ethnic cleansing.’
Possibly aware this diatribe would occur, the UN Secretary General Ban
Ki-moon, as well as the German Foreign Minister and the ambassadors
from Security Council members US, France and Germany, were not
present.
After making the 5,000-mile journey to New York for this appearance,
he was escorted into the UN through the basement garage, so that he
would not have to see the more than 50 demonstrators from the New
York/New Jersey ARF chapter who protested across the street from the
UN, carrying the flags of Armenia and Artsakh (Nagorno Karabagh) and
signs which read, `Turkey and Azerbaijan Guilty of Genocide,’ `Baku
Guilty of Ethnic Cleansing’ and `Stop Destruction of Nakhichevan.’
Azerbaijan, which had been elected in
October 2011 to a non-permanent seat on the Security Council, mostly
with votes from Muslim member-nations of the UN, but none from
European nations, is chairing the Security Council for the month of
May and Aliyev seemed intent to get his message across while he was
being watched.
Knowing that Armenia, which is not a Security Council member, could
not respond, Aliyev accused Armenia of `dozens of terrorist acts
against the civilian population and infrastructure of Azerbaijan,’
which he said, `resulted in over 2,000 Azerbaijanis dead.’ Armenia, he
said, `orchestrated those acts with the direct involvement of its
security agencies and by using international terrorist groups.’ He
continued by saying that during the Karabagh war, `Armenia widely
practiced use of terrorist acts against the civilian population in
conjunction with military aggression to achieve ethnic cleansing.’
Again he brought up the Khojaly issue, where he accused Armenia of
`annihilating’ 613 women, children and elderly. He also accused
Armenia of `masterminding terror acts in public transport and critical
infrastructure.’
Continuing his diatribe, he said Azerbaijan has largely neutralized
this `terrorist threat from Armenia,’ but there are `additional
terrorist acts, including hitting civilian infrastructure, especially
water reservoir dams and the oil pipeline network.’ He also accused
Armenia of harboring `elements of international terrorist
organizations which are integrated into the security and defense
sector of Armenia.’
And then in one of the most appalling statements, he said Armenia
`that claims to share European and universal values has venerated
operatives of international terrorist organizations as heroes, and
even erected monuments to them.’
He finished his rant by accusing Armenia of `organized crime, drug
trafficking, money laundering and illegal arms supply in the occupied
territories of Azerbaijan.’
(A similar harangue had occurred by his father President Heydar Aliyev
at a press conference at the United Nations some years ago when as a
UN correspondent, this reporter had asked him about the massacres of
Armenians by Azerbaijan in Baku, Kirovabad and Sumgait. The face of
the elder Aliyev, who was in the last years of his presidency, became
enraged and he went into a 15-minute tirade against Armenia, finally
storming out of the UN press conference.)
Armenia’s Foreign Ministry Responds
Following the current Azeri president’s appearance before the Security
Council on May 4, Armenia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs immediately
made the following statement. `The Azeri president’s statement is
based on lies, distortions and groundless speculation. It causes deep
regret that such an august platform can be used for such base
statements. Instead of reaffirming his country’s commitment to a
peaceful settlement of the Karabagh issues, he is abusing the
authoritative tribune of the UN Security Council in order to repeat
the overused thesis of anti-Armenia propaganda of Azerbaijan, just
only forgetting to recall the Azeri leadership’s famous racist thesis
that `Azerbaijan’s main enemies are the Armenians of the world.”
The Armenian statement continued that `during the UN Security Council
briefing on anti-terrorism, the president of Azerbaijan is making an
unsuccessful attempt to lay its own responsibility of
links with terrorist groups on others, being the leader of a country
which actively used thousands of mercenaries closely linked to
notorious international terrorist networks in its unleashed war aimed
at the annihilation of the Karabagh population. It is cynical when
vain accusations are voiced against Armenia by the leader of a
country, the authorities of which masterminded massacres, ethnic
cleansing against the Armenians by medieval methods; a country where
cruel butchers of sleeping peo- ple are glorified as national heroes;
a country where a captive is humiliated in front of cameras and then
killed as it is done by well-known terrorist organiza-
tions; a country where centuries-old cultural monuments are
barbarously destroyed by famous terrorists.’
The Armenian Foreign Ministry’s statement concluded by stating that
`the continuous threats to regional peace and security, the bellicose
and hatred disseminating provocative statements of the Azeri
leadership which are in harsh contrast to the purpose and principles
of the UN Charter, are not befitting a UN member state, and undermine
the authority of the Security Council.’
UN Representative Decries Statements
Armenia’s Ambassador to the United Nations Garen Nazarian also
released a statement which read that the Azerbaijani president should
be reminded that `when using the term terrorism, his country was
listed as one harboring terrorist groups, and is a logical route for
extremists with ties to terrorist organizations. A number of recent
reports by international and regional organizations clearly reflect
that the territory of Azerbaijan is actively used by various terrorist
and religious extremist structures, serving as a safe haven for
criminal activities.’
To underscore this statement, Reporters Without Borders recently
listed a list of `predator rulers of countries.’ This list includes
Vasif Talibov, leader of Nakhichevan, in addition to Azerbaijani
President Ilham Aliyev.
And in a routine press conference at the United Nations on May 3, by
Azerbaijani Ambassador to the UN Agshin Mehdiyev on press censorship,
he admitted that he didn’t know that the day had been designated as
Press Freedom Day. As reporters chuckled at his apparent ignorance,
Mehdyev said, `Azerbaijan doesn’t need to mark this day due to its
unrestricted media coverage. We have a free press.’
On May 2, the Committee to Protect Journalists named Azerbaijan as a
`runner up’ to their list of the `Ten Most Heavily Censured Countries
in the World.’
From: Baghdasarian