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Ambassador of Lithuania to Azerbaijan resigns following publication of
his phone talk concerning Nagorno-Karabakh
by Emmanuil Lazarian
ARMINFO
Saturday, August 3, 14:34
ArmInfo-Turan. Ambassadors of Lithuania to Azerbaijan and Hungary
Arturas Zurauskas and Renatas Juska have resigned following the
publication of recordings of their phone conversations concerning
Nagorno-Karabakh.
Concerning the resignation of Zurauskas, Lithuanian Foreign Minister
Linas Linkevicius said: "The diplomat is aware of the fact that the
existing situation is preventing him from properly executing his
duties in the incumbent position. I consider it a respectable action.
It is understandable that impeccable moral and ethical standards are
expected from diplomats."
Recordings of three phone conversations involving Zurauskas, Juska,
Deputy Director of the Lithuanian Foreign Ministry's Eastern
Neighborhood Policy Department Zenonas Kumetaitis and the Ministry's
official Gediminas Kasputis were published on youtube.com on July 8
2013.
The conversations concerned the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict and
Nagorno-Karabakh.
More specifically, Juska asked Kumetaitis which of the conflicting
parties he supported.
"Here much depends on which of them is more pro-Russian. In terms of
religion and humanity, the Armenians are closer to Russia - though
they are rotten," Kumetaitis said.
In his turn, Juska said that he felt sympathy for the Armenians:
"They are Christians. They suffered much from the Stalin regime, which
changed their territory just like it did to ours."
According to Turan, it is not known who recorded the conversations and
who put them on Youtube. The Lithuanians suspect the Russian special
services, who, in their opinion, are trying to discredit the EU-member
states in the eyes of Armenia and Azerbaijan, now that those countries
are seeking to get closer to Europe.
his phone talk concerning Nagorno-Karabakh
by Emmanuil Lazarian
ARMINFO
Saturday, August 3, 14:34
ArmInfo-Turan. Ambassadors of Lithuania to Azerbaijan and Hungary
Arturas Zurauskas and Renatas Juska have resigned following the
publication of recordings of their phone conversations concerning
Nagorno-Karabakh.
Concerning the resignation of Zurauskas, Lithuanian Foreign Minister
Linas Linkevicius said: "The diplomat is aware of the fact that the
existing situation is preventing him from properly executing his
duties in the incumbent position. I consider it a respectable action.
It is understandable that impeccable moral and ethical standards are
expected from diplomats."
Recordings of three phone conversations involving Zurauskas, Juska,
Deputy Director of the Lithuanian Foreign Ministry's Eastern
Neighborhood Policy Department Zenonas Kumetaitis and the Ministry's
official Gediminas Kasputis were published on youtube.com on July 8
2013.
The conversations concerned the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict and
Nagorno-Karabakh.
More specifically, Juska asked Kumetaitis which of the conflicting
parties he supported.
"Here much depends on which of them is more pro-Russian. In terms of
religion and humanity, the Armenians are closer to Russia - though
they are rotten," Kumetaitis said.
In his turn, Juska said that he felt sympathy for the Armenians:
"They are Christians. They suffered much from the Stalin regime, which
changed their territory just like it did to ours."
According to Turan, it is not known who recorded the conversations and
who put them on Youtube. The Lithuanians suspect the Russian special
services, who, in their opinion, are trying to discredit the EU-member
states in the eyes of Armenia and Azerbaijan, now that those countries
are seeking to get closer to Europe.