TURKEY CONDEMNS CANADIAN PM’S REMARKS ON 1915 INCIDENTS
The New Anatolian
Turkish Press
April 26 2006
Press Review
Turkish Foreign Ministry officials are protesting the Canadian
government over Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s remarks last week
describing the events of 1915 as an “Armenian genocide.” Turkish
diplomats described Harper’s remarks as grossly prejudiced, since
the allegations have not been proven by unbiased historical studies.
According to ministry officials, such remarks do not contribute to
a dialogue between Turkey and Armenia, and have a negative impact on
Turkish-Canadian relations. In related news, in his annual message to
mark the tragic events of 1915, US President George W. Bush on Monday
called on Turks and Armenians to forge a dialogue in order to normalize
their relations. As expected, resisting Armenian pressure in his annual
speech to mark April 24, the date claimed as a commemoration of the
genocide claims, he didn’t use the term “genocide,” and said, “Today
we’re remembering one of the horrible tragedies of the 20th century.”

AZERBAIJANI PRESIDENT VISITS WASHINGTON
Shahin Abbasov and Khadija Ismailova
EurasiaNet, NY
April 26 2006
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev began a three-day visit to
Washington on April 26 that could help determine whether the Bush
Administration pursues a military option against Iran as part of its
ongoing effort to thwart Tehran’s nuclear ambitions.
The key talks of the hastily arranged trip will come on April 28,
when Aliyev is scheduled to meet with US President George W. Bush.
Aliyev has long sought a photo-op with Bush out of the apparent belief
that the US presidential imprimatur of approval would greatly enhance
the Azerbaijani leader’s legitimacy. Aliyev’s election win in 2003
was marred by widespread irregularities and police repression against
demonstrators. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive]. US
officials had resisted inviting Aliyev to a White House, feeling
that an Oval Office meeting would be perceived internationally
as undermining the Bush Administration’s global democratization
mission. The administration’s ardor for pressing an international
democratic agenda has cooled perceptibly in recent months, as its
concern over Iran’s nuclear program has risen. [For background see
the Eurasia Insight archive].
Apparently aiming to burnish his image, Aliyev on April 26 met with
representatives of prominent non-governmental organizations that
promote civil society, including Freedom House, Human Rights Watch and
the Open Society Institute. [EurasiaNet operates under the auspices
of the Open Society Institute].
Aliyev’s discussions with various US officials are expected to focus
on geopolitical issues in the Caucasus, including the response to
Iran’s nuclear program, breaking the stalemate in Nagorno-Karabakh
peace talks and Caspian Basin energy-related issues.
US officials are believed to be most interested in discussing Iran,
Azerbaijan’s southern neighbor. Since the announcement earlier this
month that Aliyev would be traveling to Washington, Baku has buzzed
with speculation that the Bush administration wanted to enlist Aliyev’s
support for a blitz against Iran’s nuclear infrastructure.
Such plans were reported by the American weekly magazine The New
Yorker. However, US officials have denied the magazine report.
Nevertheless, Bush on April 18 emphasized that “all options remain
on the table,” including the potential use of force, as Washington
ponders ways to contain Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
All indicators show that securing Azerbaijan’s participation in any
offensive military operations against Iran will be an extremely tough
sell for Washington. Azerbaijani officials have shown no interest
in confronting Iran. On April 20, Foreign Ministry spokesman Tahir
Taghizadeh indicated that Azerbaijan remains interested in balancing
its relations with both Iran and the United States. “In general
Baku’s position remains unchanged in two directions: Every country
has right to develop a nuclear program with peaceful goals, and our
region is vulnerable enough due to existing conflicts [to preclude]
adding a new source of tension,” Taghizadeh said.
Azerbaijani public opinion is also solidly opposed to a potential
conflict with Iran. Local newspapers and broadcast media have carried
reports in recent weeks critical of Bush’s confrontational approach,
and have urged the government to refrain from granting basing rights
to US forces, or providing any other form of assistance that would
facilitate an attack against Iran. In urging Baku’s neutrality in the
standoff, the reports have expressed alarm over a possible flood of
Iranian refugees into Azerbaijan, or retaliatory strikes by Tehran
against Azerbaijani targets.
Iranian officials have done nothing to discourage speculation
in Azerbaijan about military retaliation. Azerbaijani media have
given prominent play to recent comments made by Iranian National
Security Council chief Ali LAlijani, who said that an attack against
Azerbaijan’s economic lifeline, the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline,
could not be excluded in the event hostilities between the United
States and Iran.
Aliyev moved quickly to quash expectations that Azerbaijani officials
could be persuaded to change their minds, telling members of the
Council on Foreign Relations during a closed-door meeting April 26 that
Baku would not be a participant in “any kind” of military operation
against Tehran. Although Aliyev appears committed to sitting out any
possible military clash between the United States and Iran, he may
be playing a diplomatic role aimed at heading off a conflict.
On April 19, Iranian Defense Minister Mostafa Mohammad Najjar visited
Baku ostensibly for talks on mutual security issues. However, some
political analysts in Baku believe that Najjar passed an Iranian
message for Washington to Azerbaijani officials. Najjar helped fuel
such conjecture by saying Azerbaijan can act as a mediator in the
US-Iranian dispute. “Azerbaijan is our closest neighbor and … Ilham
Aliyev can convince the United States to understand Iran’s position
properly,” Najjar said.
Other observers say Najjar’s visit was designed to remind Baku of the
high risks it would take if it opted to join an American coalition
against Iran. Uzeyir Jafarov, a Baku-based military expert, said
Najjar probably delivered a blunt message that Azerbaijan could not
expect to escape unscathed if Iran was attacked. “The Iranian minister
likely reminded Ilham Aliyev that in case of [Baku’s] participation
in any action against Iran, Azerbaijan would be the first to suffer,”
Jafarov said.
Hikmet Hajizade, the political analyst and vice-president of
FAR-center, a Baku-based NGO, suggested that the consequences could
be devastating for Azerbaijan. “Even pre-attack tension will impact
our interests. … If military action takes place, Azerbaijan could
experience retaliatory strikes against the BTC pipeline. Besides,
one day we could find Iranians naval vessels along the Azerbaijani
coast.” At the same time, Hajizade indicated that the worst possible
geopolitical scenario in the Caucasus for Azerbaijan could involve
a nuclear-armed Iran. “Azerbaijan’s interests [might] suffer more if
Iran develops its nuclear weapon,” he said.
If Aliyev is indeed acting as a messenger, there would seem to
be an opportunity in the near future for the Azerbaijani leader
to pass along any back-channel communication conveyed by the Bush
Administration. Iranian President Mahmmoud Ahmadinejad is planning to
visit Baku on May 4 to attend a summit of the Organization of Economic
Cooperation. Jafarov said that President Aliyev could update the
Iranian leader on any US proposals, counter-proposals or ultimatums
at that time.
A few opposition politicians and political experts in Baku have
suggested that Aliyev explore the possibility of a quid pro quo
involving Azerbaijani support for a US attack against Iran in exchange
for Washington’s unequivocal support for Baku on the Nagorno-Karabakh
question. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive].
Currently, the United States is a member of the OSCE Minsk Group that
is acting as the chief mediator between Azerbaijan and Armenia. [For
background see the Eurasia Insight archive]. Some recent statements by
Azerbaijani officials have prompted speculation of a possible linking
of Iran and Karabakh. On April 22, for example, Deputy Foreign Minister
Araz Azimov caused a sensation when he suggested that some Azerbaijani
regions currently under Armenian occupation could become embroiled
in a possible US-Iranian conflict, the Turan news agency reported.
Hajizade and other experts downplay such a connection. “The Karabakh
conflict is not just about United States’ will and the question is:
will the Washington able to push on Russia, which in its turn would
push Armenia to give up [some] of its claims. So far I do not see any
opportunity for US-Russia agreement on the issue,” Hikmet Hajizade
said.
Vardan Oskanian, the Armenian foreign minister, dismissed the
possibility of a US-Azerbaijani quid pro quo involving Karabakh. “It
is not a way that the United States operates. And such a deal would
not end with any positive result,” Oskanian said on April 19.
Editor’s Note: Khadija Ismayilova and Shain Abbasov are freelance
journalists based in Baku.

A LYON, LE MEMORIAL DU GENOCIDE ARMENIEN INAUGURE DANS LE CALME
Yves Bordenave Article paru dans l’edition du 26.04.06
Le Monde, France
25 Avril 2006
Jules Mardirossian peut se rejouir. Cet homme, ne il y a 68 ans
a Lyon, president de l’association pour le memorial lyonnais du
genocide des Armeniens, a reussi son pari : depuis lundi 24 avril,
pour le 91e anniversaire du genocide perpetre par les Turcs entre
1915 et 1918, un memorial se dresse en plein coeur de Lyon, sur la
place Antonin-Poncet. Trente-six stèles, feuilles de pierres blanches,
emergent du bitume. S’elevant a 3,46 mètres du sol, l’oeuvre concue par
l’architecte Leonardo Basmadyian interpelle le regard des passants
afin qu’ils se souviennent “du genocide armenien et de tous les
autres genocides”.
Lundi en fin d’après-midi, environ deux mille personnes ont assiste a
la ceremonie d’inauguration. Elle s’est deroulee dans le calme et le
recueillement, en presence du maire de Lyon, Gerard Collomb, des elus
de l’agglomeration et de Dominique Perben, ministre des transports,
et candidat declare aux municipales de 2008 a Lyon, qui representait
le president de la Republique. Un important service de securite avait
ete deploye par la prefecture du Rhône qui redoutait des incidents.
Dans cette ville qui compte environ 40 000 personnes d’origine
armenienne et autant d’origine turque, la decision unanime, votee en
2004 au conseil municipal, d’edifier un lieu dedie a la memoire du
genocide armenien, a suscite de nombreuses reactions. Selon Jean-Yves
Secheresse, l’elu (PS) charge du dossier, des lettres d’indignation –
parfois d’insultes – et des petitions emanant le plus souvent, de la
communaute turque ont afflue a la mairie. Quatre recours en refere
ont ete deposes devant le tribunal administratif par une association
de riverains et une elue UMP qui voulaient conserver cette place
en l’etat.
Plus recemment, l’edification du monument a provoque des protestations
virulentes, et des manifestations, parfois violentes.
Les dernières datent du 17 avril : “Il n’y a pas eu de genocide”
proclamaient des inscriptions taguees sur le site.
Un mois auparavant, le 18 mars, une manifestation a l’appel de
plusieurs associations franco-turques, rassemblant des jeunes
Turcs venus de l’agglomeration lyonnaise et des regions voisines,
brandissant des pancartes negationnistes et faisant le signe des
Loups-Gris (mouvement turc d’extreme droite), avait degenere (Le
Monde du 21 mars). “On savait que ce memorial allait entraîner des
mouvements de rejet, mais pas a ce point-la”, deplore M.
Mardirossian, qui soupconne le consulat de Turquie a Lyon d’avoir
fomente ces debordements.
Le consulat rejette ces accusations, mais ne dissimule pas son
hostilite. “Nous sommes contre le memorial, car il n’y a pas eu de
genocide, plaide Derya Tutumel, de l’ambassade de Turquie en France.
Des deux côtes, les populations ont souffert des evenements tragiques
de cette epoque.” Et d’interroger : “A quoi sert ce genre de
monument, sinon a encourager la haine ?” Au cours des derniers mois,
le consul general de Turquie a Lyon, Ozer Aydan, s’est adresse a deux
reprises par courrier a M. Collomb pour le convaincre de surseoir a
la realisation du memorial. Ces requetes sont restees sans effet.
–Boundary_(ID_HSpqV6sZEbLrpTN2mQc6mw)–

SEX, LIES AND AN UNUSUAL TAKE: EGOYAN SUSPECTS THE FURORE OVER HIS FILM IS DUE TO THE WAY THE SEX SCENES WERE SHOT
Ong Sor Fern , Film Correspondent
The Straits Times (Singapore)
April 26, 2006 Wednesday
EVER since his new film debuted at the Cannes Film Festival last May,
arthouse director Atom Egoyan has been talking about sex.
Over the telephone from his office in Toronto, the amiable 46-year-old
Canadian reveals a lively sense of mischief when he talks about
shooting explicit sex scenes.
‘It’s very liberating. I have fun and just enjoy it. Especially
knowing your characters are going to be punished for it and not you,’
the Egypt-born, Canada-raised Armenian chuckles uproariously.
Where The Truth Lies, which opened here last Thursday, is the most
mainstream offering from the director better known for boutique
arthouse fare like Exotica (1994) and the Oscar-nominated The Sweet
Hereafter (1997).
It tells of a journalist (Alison Lohman) who is determined to ferret
out the story behind the break-up of celebrated comedy act Vince
Collins (Colin Firth) and Lanny Morris (Kevin Bacon).
The truth involves a lot of torrid sex, including a three-way between
Firth, Bacon and actress Rachel Blanchard and a steamy lesbian scene
for Lohman.
In the United States, the censors slapped the movie with an NC17
rating instead of the Restricted rating the distributor was hoping for.
NC17 bars those under 17 from entry and is often associated with
pornographic films while an R rating allows minors entry if accompanied
by adults.
In the end, the film was released unrated in its original edit in the
US. In Singapore, the film has been passed uncut with an R21 rating.
The director says he is still bemused over the furore.
‘I’ll never know exactly why we fell afoul of them. My suspicion is
that they are not used to seeing actors of this renown in scenes that
are so exposed and shot in a high Hollywood studio style.
‘We’ve come to expect sex scenes to be shot in a very gritty way.
That may be the shock of the scenes.’
For the director, the sex was only part of the story he was trying
to tell in this adaptation of Rupert Holmes’ novel of the same name.
What intrigued him about the book was its insider’s perspective on
the cult of celebrity. Holmes is also a pop star best known for his
1979 novelty hit Escape (The Pina Colada Song).
Egoyan, who is married to actress Arsinee Khanjian, says: ‘What’s
interesting to me is not that we need celebrities, but what is the
toll on these human beings that we put into this position?
‘Are they capable of withstanding these pressures, especially when
they are the subject of so much projection, the contrast between the
very, very public and the very, very private in their lives.’
In his script adaptation, he chose to expand on the character of the
young journalist in order to explore this theme.
The director, who has also written original scripts, has made two
other book adaptations, The Sweet Hereafter (1997) and Felicia’s
Journey (1999).
Asked whether he prefers creating stories or adapting someone else’s
work, there is a thoughtful pause before he launches into a lengthy,
reasoned response.
‘Writing your own script, you are faced with a lot of moments of
crises. You always have to justify why the story needs to be told.
When you are adapting, its right has already been ascertained by
another artist.’
He adds a heartfelt confession: ‘I feel much more vulnerable when
I’m writing my own scripts.’
Besides less worry over the story, this film offered him a chance to
make old-school Hollywood glamour.
The detail-oriented director confesses that he was obsessed with things
like diffusion and colour lenses in order to achieve the right look
for the film.
‘Much of this film is told from the point of view of Lanny. Certainly
if he was hiring a director, he wouldn’t hire Atom Egoyan. He would
hire Stanley Donen or Vincente Minnelli,’ he laughs self-deprecatingly,
naming two directors who shaped the legendary MGM musicals of the
1950s.
But with this sleek film, he proves Lanny wrong.
Where The Truth Lies is showing in cinemas.
[email protected]
‘My suspicion is that they are not used to seeing actors of this
renown in scenes that are so exposed and shot in a high Hollywood
studio style’.

ALIYEV’S VISIT IN US MEDIA SPOTLIGHT
Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
April 26 2006
Baku, April 25, AssA-Irada
President Ilham Aliyev started his first official visit to the United
States on Tuesday.
Aliyev will hold a meeting at the Council on Foreign Relations on
Wednesday. On the following day, the president will open the sixth
business and investment conference of the US-Azeri Chamber of Commerce,
a source from the US embassy in Washington has said. The event will
be joined by high-ranking officials of the Azerbaijani government
and senior US politicians and analysts.
On Friday, President Aliyev will meet US counterpart George Bush
at the White House. Meetings have also been scheduled with US Vice
President Dick Cheney and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.
The White House press service has said the two presidents will
discuss regional security, energy cooperation and democratic
development. Documents pertaining to economic and political cooperation
between the two countries will be signed during the visit.
The visit is in US media spotlight because Washington sees Azerbaijan
as its key regional ally and reliable partner. Observers believe that
the visit is an indication of the ever-strengthening cooperation
between Baku and Washington. Some maintain that the visit should
be looked upon from the angle of US-Iranian stand-off over Tehran’s
nuclear program.
An article in the Washington Post on Tuesday said President Aliyev had
succeeded in getting everything he wanted from the Bush administration,
as the US is now considering providing Azerbaijan with some sort
of assistance.
The Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict over Upper (Nagorno) Garabagh will
also be high on the visit agenda. Washington wants to see Azerbaijan
a prospering and democratically developing country. The visit is
also taking place at a time when crude price in world markets is on
the rise.
The United States, which cooperates with oil-rich Azerbaijan, supports
the multi-billion dollar Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan main export pipeline to
take Azeri oil to international markets.

A PIPELINE TO PROFITS AND TERRITORIAL TENSION
April 25, 2006 20 21 GMT
Stratfor
April 26 2006
Summary
As the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline moves toward operational
status, the Azerbaijani government stands to make a lot of money very
quickly. Most will likely go to President Ilham Aliyev, his clan and
the country’s defense budget (probably in that order). Meanwhile,
hostilities between Azerbaijan and Armenia, which occupies the
Nagorno-Karabakh territory within Azerbaijan, will likely escalate
and eventually erupt into renewed conflict.
Analysis
The Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline, which will bring oil from the
Caspian Sea to the Mediterranean, is scheduled to become operational
within two months. The income the pipeline will bring to Azerbaijan,
along with other energy projects, will reach approximately $2.8 billion
by the end of 2006. Though much of the money will go to President
Ilham Aliyev and his clan, the defense budget will benefit as well.
Any increase in military spending has been dismissed by Baku as purely
defensive, but the longtime ethnic and territorial conflict within
Azerbaijan suggests a future arms buildup and increasing hostilities
with the Armenian-populated Nagorno-Karabakh enclave.
During a bloody conflict in the early 1990s, Armenians gained control
not only of Nagorno-Karabakh but also of a buffer zone and corridor
to Armenia. A tenuous cease-fire has been in place since 1994.
However, there has been some shooting over the Line of Control, and
the atmosphere is palpably tense. A recent meeting in France between
the presidents of Azerbaijan and Armenia, as expected, brought the
two no closer to a solution.
With the influx of cash, Azerbaijan might purchase armaments and
vehicles from France, the United States or the former Warsaw Pact
countries, and the Azerbaijani military could receive instruction
from its U.S. ally. While the intensity of Armenian nationalism —
and the inferiority of the Azerbaijani military — has usually made
up for the smaller Armenian defense budget, the obvious imbalance in
funding will likely shift the equilibrium.
In 2005, Armenia’s national budget was $930.7 million, while the
Azerbaijani national budget was $2.986 billion. Azerbaijani defense
expenditures in 2005 reached approximately $300 million, according to
numbers from the Jamestown Foundation, and Aliyev has been quoted as
saying that Azerbaijan’s defense budget will soon match the entire
national budget of Armenia. While Armenia’s defense budget for 2005
was $100 million, it will increase in 2006 to $160 million.
Upon completion, the BTC pipeline, along with the already-operational
Baku-Supsa oil pipeline and the South Caucasus (Shah Deniz) natural
gas pipeline (which comes online in the fourth quarter of 2006),
will be the major contributor to the Azerbaijani economy. And the
BTC is ramping up quickly — currently, the pipeline fill is complete
through Azerbaijan and Georgia and is in the final stages in Turkey.
In 2007, production is expected to increase significantly as new
platforms come online in the Caspian Sea. The BTC will reach its full
capacity of 1 million barrels per day as early as 2008. Without even
including projected income from the Shah Deniz natural gas pipeline,
this will result in a dramatic increase in income for the Azerbaijani
economy.
Although it looks as if an Azerbaijani attempt to incorporate the
secessionist enclave is imminent, there are several factors that could
temper any aggressive move. Not the least of these are the many large
multinational corporations that have set up camp in the country,
running the numerous energy operations around Baku. Anything that
could jeopardize the extraction operations or the pipelines will
not be looked upon kindly by the people who brought Azerbaijan all
this income.
There are other vulnerabilities that could be exploited. The BTC and
the South Caucasus pipeline both come close to Nagorno-Karabakh and
secessionist regions within neighboring Georgia. Sabotage is quite
possible on the 1,094-mile-long pipeline, despite high security.
Moreover, all secessionists in the region are supported by Russia in
one way or another, and the patron might decide to cast a complacent
eye toward any sabotage, since the BTC circumvents Russia’s own
pipeline network.
The Armenians have shown they are willing to fight. They are also
quite politically powerful — the Armenian community in the United
States, which outnumbers Armenians living in their own country, has
an influential lobby in Washington. The delicate balance of the U.S.
alliance with Azerbaijan and U.S. support for Armenia will cause
Washington to do everything within its means to prevent the
remilitarization of the conflict.
However, nothing can prevent the escalation of an age-old blood
feud in a region where history means everything. Any quarrel can
be escalated to trigger renewed bloodshed. Slowly but surely, the
conflict will again come to a head, but this time, the Azerbaijani
side will be better-prepared, better-armed and better-financed,
gradually shifting the balance to its side.
for map, see
article.php?id=265269&selected=Analyses

AZERBAIJAN’S PRESIDENT ARRIVES IN US
Journal of Turkish Weekly, Turkey
April 26 2006
Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev has arrived in the United States
on a trip whose agenda will be topped by Iran, energy supplies, and
Nagorno-Karabakh, a disputed part of Azerbaijani territory controlled
since the early 1990s by its majority ethnic-Armenian population.
The U.S.-based Human Rights Watch calls on U.S. President George W.
Bush to press for reforms in Azerbaijan when he meets with Alikyev
on April 28.
The Azeri president’s office says the two leaders will discuss
“problems related to democratic developments,” as well as security
in the Caucasus and a range of other topics.

ZIYAFET ASKEROV MEETS WITH YOUTH ASSOCIATION OF TURKEY’S RULING PARTY
Today, Azerbaijan
April 26 2006
Ziyafet Askerov, first deputy chairman of Milli Majlis, received a
group of members of Youth Associaiton with Justice and Development
Party of Turkey.
Mr Askerov said Turkish-Azeri relationships are progressing rapidly
and informed the youth on activities of Azeri parliament. Further
he said Turkey always supported Azerbaijan in vital questions; to,
he informed the guests of the scheduled construction of railroad
between the two countries.
Speaking of Nagorno Karabakh conflict, vice-chairman also touched
the theme of Armenians’ groundless claims to Turkey about so-called
“Armenian genocide”, Trend reports with reference to press service
of Milli Majlis.
Head of Turkish delegation Hakan Tutunchu said Turkish Youth
organization considers significant the development of relations with
NAP’s youth organization and does its best to give these relationships
a permanent status.
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SCHOOLCHILDREN AND THEIR DISABLED FRIENDS TOGETHER
Lragir.am
27 April 06
On April 27 an exhibition of children’s pictures entitled “School
for Everyone” was opened at the exhibition hall of UNDP. The event
was organized in the framework of the Global Call for Education,
which is an international campaign for the achievement of the second
goal of Millennium Development – Achievement of universal elementary
education by 2015. This is the fourth annual exhibition in the world,
held within the last week of April. This year about 80 countries of
the world joined the campaign.
In Armenia the disabled children also participated in this event. 15
schools of the regions of Armavir, Vayots Dzor, Tavush, and Yerevan
took part in the contest of pictures and essays. Out of 1000 works 54
pictures and 39 essays were chosen in the first round of the contest.
In the second round 5 pictures and 3 essays were chosen. The UN
Children’s Fund gave prizes to all the children who participated in
the contest. The schools received certificates.

ORUJOV: AZERBAIJAN DECISIVELY CONDEMNS ALL TYPES OF FASCISM
Today, Azerbaijan
April 26 2006
Representatives of all nations, residing in the territory of Azerbaijan
equally suffered from the Armenian fascism.
Even too earlier from Holocaust, the Armenian chauvinists killed in
1918 over 3,000 Jews in Guba District, north Azerbaijan, where Jews
lived for centuries, Hidayat Orujov, the state adviser on Azerbaijan’s
national policy, stated in an event to commemoration of the innocent
victims of Holocaust.
“Fascism is evil in all its manifestations. The horrors that Jews
endured in Europe in 1939-1945, are very intimate and clear to the
people of Azerbaijan, who also experienced the Armenian fascism,”
the state adviser underlined.
He reminded that Azerbaijan has recently hosted a conference of the
representatives of the country’s Jewish community. The event mulled
the details of the tragic event of 1918, when the Armenians staged
massacre in the north of the country. “Today the comprehensive
researches into the said facts are underway,” Orujov assured.
Baku decisively condemns any type of extremism, national hostility,
religious intolerance, violence, terror and genocide. “We are open for
cooperation with all countries, which support peace and stability,”
the state adviser underlined.
“Azerbaijan is near the Jewish people not only in the bitter minutes,
but also merry days,” Orujov added. The 58th anniversary of Israel
will be broadly marked in Azerbaijan on 3 May 2006.
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