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Morningstar Denounces Azeri Press Reports

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  • Morningstar Denounces Azeri Press Reports

    MORNINGSTAR DENOUNCES AZERI PRESS REPORTS

    http://asbarez.com/106783/morningstar-denounces-azeri-press-reports/

    Tuesday, November 27th, 2012 | Posted by Contributor

    US Ambassador to Azerbaijan Richard Morningstar

    US Ambassador to Azerbaijan Richard Morningstar has denounced the
    Azeri state-run media for distorting his comments and alleging that he
    praised Azerbaijan's democratic developments, reported James Morrison
    in The Washington Times' Embassy Row column on Sunday.

    After visiting Nakhichevan and not being allowed to visit Djulfa, the
    Azeri state media attributed comments to Morningstar where he praised
    democratic development in Azerbaijan.

    In fact, Morrison reported that the US Embassy in Baku "issued a blunt
    statement last week, accusing state media of distorting reports on Mr.

    Morningstar's visit to the Nakhchivan [sic] region on Oct. 31 and Nov.

    1."

    "The ambassador did not make such comments to anyone, and any reports
    claiming that he did so are not true," the embassy said of state media
    coverage that said he praised the progress of democracy during his
    trip to Nakhchivan, reported Morrison.

    According to the Embassy Row report, the embassy said that contrary to
    state media, Mr. Morningstar used the visit to highlight the poor
    quality of democracy and human rights in Nakhchivan and made a point
    of meeting with human rights activist Malahat Nasibova, the embassy
    said.

    "Ambassador Morningstar met with a wide range of leading governmental
    and nongovernmental figures during his visit, including human rights
    activist Malahat Nasibova, whose office he visited in a show of
    support, and whose important work he praised during his public
    comments. Ambassador Morningstar also called publicly and privately
    for an open dialogue between local authorities and human rights
    defenders such as Ms. Nasibova," the embassy said.

    Read the entire Embassy Row article.

    In a US Embassy statement on November 5, Morningstar stated that, when
    he was recently in Nakhchivan, he "discussed at length with local
    authorities one such site in Julfa, where, according to evidence from
    credible sources, an ancient Armenian cemetery was desecrated or
    destroyed. I regret that the authorities, citing security reasons,
    made it impossible for me to visit the site and personally see what is
    there."

    "Ambassador Morningstar cannot take no for an answer," said Armenian
    National Committee of America Executive Director Aram Hamparian at the
    time. "He can either keep knocking on the Ilham Aliyev's door until
    this baseless ban is lifted, or simply travel to the site of the
    Djulfa cemetery on his own. Either way, it's clear that, as Americans,
    we should neither sell arms to an Azerbaijani military that destroys
    cemeteries, nor send any aid to a government in Baku that blocks U.S.

    ambassadors from visiting sites of peace-time cultural desecration."

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