DRAMA AT NATO PA SEMINAR IN AZERBAIJAN: OFFENCES SOUNDED IN ADDRESS OF ARMENIAN LEADERSHIP AND ARMENIAN DELEGATION
20:12 17/06/2014 >> REGION
The second day of the 86th NATO Parliamentary Assembly Rose-Roth
seminar titled “The South Caucasus: Challenges and Opportunities”
was marked by scandal. In particular, representatives of Azerbaijan
threatened “to punish” Armenian MP, Tevan Poghosyan’s father, sounded
offences in address of the Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan as well as
the former President of Armenia Robert Kocharyan, and called Armenia a
“terrorist state.”
In their turn, the Armenian delegation reminded about the Sumgait
massacres, openly accused Azerbaijan of beginning the Karabakh conflict
and militarization.
According to the Azerbaijani news agency “APA”, Armenian delegation
member Tevan Poghosyan accused Azerbaijan of conducting massacres
against Armenian population of Sumgait in 1988. In response, the head
of the Azerbaijani delegation to the NATO PA, first deputy chairman
of the Azerbaijani Parliament Ziyafet Asgarov suddenly announced that
the Azerbaijani Military Prosecutor’s Office conducts an investigation
against Tevan Poghosyan’s father, who has allegedly committed “bloody
crimes” against Azerbaijanis in Karabakh.
“Your father, the murderer, will soon be found through Interpol and
punished. You will see it very soon,” Asgarov said.
Turning to the topic of Sumgait events Asgarov stated that “these
events were triggered by the Soviet KGB” and “by your Grigoryan.”
As “APA” states, the head of the Armenian delegation to NATO PA
Koryun Nahapetyan openly accused Azerbaijan. He stated that over the
last 7 years Azerbaijan’s military budget has increased by 20 times,
noting that this is a real threat in the region. He demanded a harsh
reaction of the NATO PA in this regard.
Later on, Armenian MP Tevan Poghosyan accused Azerbaijan of instigating
the Karabakh conflict. Tevan Poghosyan said that on the eve of the
collapse of the Soviet Union a large amount of weapons and ammunition
remained in Azerbaijan and Baku used these weapons.
Then the head of the Azerbaijani delegation to the NATO PA, First
Deputy Speaker of the Parliament of Azerbaijan Ziyafat Asgarov took
the floor. He stated that the “Armenian delegation has been making a
provocation in Baku” and tries “to blacken Azerbaijan in front of the
NATO PA.” Further on, Asgarov turned to the Assembly representatives
with a question, whether “a state the 20% of territory of which is
occupied should increase its military budget or not.”
Azerbaijani MP stated that allegedly the Armenians “had organized
more than 30 terrorist attacks” in Azerbaijan and had committed “the
Khojalu genocide.” He also referred to a list of Armenian officers
allegedly “wanted by Interpol.”
Asgarov demanded NATO PA to highlight the given “facts.” Head of
the Azerbaijani delegation demanded the expulsion of the Armenian
delegation from the NATO Parliamentary Assembly. This requirement
Asgarov substantiated by the fact that NATO had suspended the relations
with Russia and had deprived of the right to vote in NATO PA for two
years. And Asgarov is concerned with the fact that Armenia is not
yet excluded from this structure.
According to the Azerbaijani news agency “1news.az” Asgarov stated
allegedly Armenia “conducts terror on state level,” and called the
Armenian presidents “terrorists.”
According to the news agency, the head of the Armenian delegation to
NATO PA Koryun Nahapetyan noted that in the military sphere Azerbaijan
violates international limits, including the OSCE requirements.
Azerbaijani MP Zahid Oruc stated that “Azerbaijan is not intended to
turn into a militarist state,” but he is “forced to.”
According to the Azerbaijani news portal Haqqin.az, during the
workshop, the head of the Azerbaijani Institute of Peace and Democracy
Leyla Yunus turned to Colonel Elmar Samedov, head of military strategy
and defense department of the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry. She noted
that each year dozens of soldiers die in Azerbaijani Armed Forces
and those deaths are not caused by the Armenian snipers.
“The army is mired in corruption, although it is supposed to be
professional. Colonel Samedov is supposed to talk about creating a
professional army,” said Leyla Yunus.
News portal also notes that members of the Armenian delegation Richard
Giragosian, Tevan Poghosyan and Koryun Nahapetyan were present at the
official dinner in the Azerbaijani parliament and raised a toast to the
independence of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic. Director of the Regional
Studies Center, analyst Richard Giragosian was also participating in
Rose-Roth seminar. He wrote about the toast on his Twitter microblog.
http://www.panorama.am/en/politics/2014/06/17/azerbaijan-pa-nato-armenia/