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Armenian FM Slams Azerbaijan Over Safarov Affair At UN

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  • Armenian FM Slams Azerbaijan Over Safarov Affair At UN

    ARMENIAN FM SLAMS AZERBAIJAN OVER SAFAROV AFFAIR AT UN

    http://www.armenianow.com/karabakh/40191/armenia_united_nations_azerbaijan_safarov_foreign_ minister_nalbandian
    Karabakh | 02.10.12 | 10:46

    Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian called Azerbaijan a threat
    to the security and stability of the South Caucasus and accused it
    of being responsible for the 'frozen' conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh
    as he addressed the 67th Session of the UN General Assembly on Monday.

    Armenia's top diplomat devoted much of his speech to raise concerns
    about the policy of hatred towards Armenians in Azerbaijan that he
    said was being promoted "at the very top level".

    "Year after year Armenia has been raising its concerns from this podium
    over the militaristic rhetoric, blatant violation of international
    commitments and anti-Armenian hysteria being instilled into the
    Azerbaijani society from the highest levels of its leadership. Many
    international organizations on human rights alerted about flagrant
    cases of xenophobia, racism, intolerance and violations of human rights
    in Azerbaijan, alerted on the policy of hatred against Armenians,"
    said Nalbandian.

    "What is the Azerbaijani response? It is not only ignoring the
    expectations of the international community, but is constantly making
    new and new steps going against the values of civilized world. The
    latest such case is the Azeri government's release and glorification
    of the murderer [Ramil] Safarov, who had slaughtered with an axe
    an Armenian officer in his sleep, during a NATO program in Budapest
    simply because he was an Armenian. The Azerbaijani leadership made
    him a symbol of national pride and an example to follow by youth,"
    continued the Armenian foreign minister.

    Nalbandian stressed that the world reaction was "unanimous" and
    "very clear" in condemning what was done by Baku. But he added:
    "The Azerbaijani leadership is continuing to pretend that this act
    corresponds not only to the Azerbaijani constitution and legislation,
    but also to the norms and principles of international law, the
    respective European Convention. The leadership of this country is
    claiming that what was done is just very good. It is very sad that
    the constitution and legislation of any country could allow the
    glorification of a murderer..."

    "It is clear that the international community should not tolerate the
    attempts of the Azerbaijani leadership to adjust the international
    law to their own racist ideology," stressed the Armenian official.

    Nalbandian also suggested that the Safarov Affair had "seriously
    undermined" the Nagorno-Karabakh negotiation process and "endangered
    the fragile regional security and stability".

    "Azerbaijan poses a threat to the security and stability in the region
    by its constantly menacing to use force against Nagorno-Karabakh and
    Armenia along with unprovoked daily war-mongering by its leadership,
    by not only rejecting the proposals of the three Co-Chair countries
    on the consolidation of the ceasefire agreement, on the creation of
    a mechanism of investigation of incidents on the line of contact, but
    also by systematic ceasefire violations not only on the contact line
    between Nagorno-Karabakh and Azerbaijan, but also by provocations on
    the border with Armenia, by ceaseless acts of vandalism towards the
    Armenian historical and cultural heritage," said Nalbandian.

    "While Armenia together with the international mediators is exerting
    efforts around the table of negotiations, Azerbaijan is multiplying
    its military budget, increasing it more than twentyfold during the last
    few years, and boasting about it. While Armenia and the international
    community are calling for withdrawal of snipers from the line of
    contact, Azerbaijani leaders are rejecting it and opening sniper
    schools for the youth. While Armenia is calling for regional economic
    cooperation, which could become a tool for increasing confidence
    between the parties, Azerbaijani authorities are declaring that
    together with Turkey, they will continue the blockade until there
    are no more Armenians in Armenia," he added.

    The Armenian foreign minister underscored, however, that regardless
    of Azerbaijan's "destructive stance", Armenia will continue to make
    efforts towards the settlement of the Karabakh issue "exclusively
    through peaceful means and on the basis of the purposes, principles
    and norms reflected in the UN Charter and the international law."

    Nalbandian also used the UN tribune to raise concerns about the
    worsening of the humanitarian situation in Syria, which directly
    affects the large Armenian community in this country. He said that
    Armenia continues to receive refugees from Syria that are "full
    of worries about the escalation of violence in their country". "It
    is impossible to reach a durable settlement without the cessation
    of hostilities by all parties and without an inclusive political
    dialogue taking into account the interests of all Syrians," the
    Armenian foreign minister stressed.

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