Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Azerbaijan May Close Its Embassy In Mexico

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • Azerbaijan May Close Its Embassy In Mexico

    AZERBAIJAN MAY CLOSE ITS EMBASSY IN MEXICO

    http://times.am/?l=en&p=15390

    The Azerbaijani Ambassador to Mexico has threatened that should a
    statue of Azerbaijani dictator Heydar Aliyev be removed from a popular
    park in Mexico City then Baku will close its embassy in Mexico.

    "If the monument is removed, it will undoubtedly lead to a sharp
    deterioration in relations between Azerbaijan and Mexico, including
    closure of investments and the most extreme measure - closing of the
    embassy itself," Azerbaijan's Ambassador to Mexico Ilgar Mukhtarov
    stated.

    He also was quick to claim that the Armenian community of Mexico was
    marshalling the opposition to the statue.

    Over the summer, Mexico City mayor Marcelo Ebrard unveiled the statue
    at the main park in the city after Baku reportedly paid $10 million
    for renovation and landscaping.

    The large bronze statue has not only been an eyesore for many
    Mexicans, but also a source of contention for activists and press who
    have objected to having a statue of a known despot adorn their city
    and in the very park that also houses monuments to Mahatma Gandhi and
    Abraham Lincoln.

    After complaints from citizens, the mayor appointed a committee to
    probe the matter. The committee recommended on Friday that the stature
    be removed.

    "In addition to Mexico, I represent Azerbaijan in six other countries
    of the Latin American region, I can theoretically move to one of these
    states, in the case of the decision to move the monument," explained
    Mukhtarov.

    He said if another location if offered by the government, there will
    be room for discussion.

    "If we are suggested a better place, then we can agree, but currently
    we are acting in a lawful manner, as the agreement on the placement of
    the monument to Heydar Aliyev on the boulevard was signed by the
    federal government, city authorities and the Embassy," Mukhtarov said.

    Muktarov also said Azerbaijan would cancel $4 billion in investment
    projects for Mexico.

    Ebrard, for whom the entire episode has been a major embarrassment,
    said he would study the recommendations, according to Los Angeles
    Times.

    "If Ebrard decides to remove the monument, we will cancel the
    projects, close the embassy, it would hurt the relationship between
    the two countries, and it would not be good for his image to be the
    person who prevented a $4-billion investment," the ambassador was
    quoted as saying.

    The issue of the statue, as well as an earlier Mexican Senate decision
    to adopt pro-Azerbaijani legislation was a topic of discussion when
    Armenia's Foreign Minister Eduard Nalbandian made his fist visit to
    Mexico.

    In talks with federal authorities, including the foreign minister,
    Nalbandian raised Armenia's concerns over these developments.

    28.11.12, 11:28

Working...
X