TIGRAN TOROSSYAN COMMENTING ON ATKINSON REPORT

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23-11-2004

It seemed the head of Armenian delegation to the CE and Armenian
National Assembly vice-speaker Tigran Torossyan, who spoke Tuesday at a
news conference in Yerevan, was unhappy about Armenia’s foreign policy.

It is necessary to rethink the stile of work, he said.

Speaking on David Atkinson’s report on Karabakh presented last
week at the session of the PACE commission on political affairs,
Torossyan noted not a single Armenian proposal on the report had been
adopted while Azerbaijan’s proposals backed by friendly-to-Azerbaijan
countries’ representatives had been found acceptable.

“These delegates were carrying out a special mission – to vote for
all proposals submitted by Azerbaijan and Turkey”, Torossyan said.

Armenian National Assembly’s members have various opinions about
what to do. Some of them think Armenian delegates should put down
their mandates. Tigran Torossyan is strongly opposed to that saying
he doesn’t approve behind-the-scene talks in parliament. “Who has
something to say must express his opinion openly”, he said.

Torossyan is convinced the attempts to describe the situation worse
than it is produce little effect. It would be better for Armenia to
refrain from using such a tactic, he said.

He is sure there are many other ways to convince international
institutions. Armenia should intensify its efforts to achieve the
goal: tireless work is needed for that.

Tigran Torossyan thinks policy of mutual accusations also produced
few results. Azerbaijan lessened aggressiveness toward Armenia. Now it
tries to present itself as defending side and displays more tolerance.

Atkinson said in his report that both Armenian and Azeri media outlets
run propaganda and show intolerance. Armenian delegates tried to
change the report wording to avoid mentioning Armenian press in it.

Europeans, however, reminded a statement made recently by an Armenian
MP from Dashnaktsutyun party Armen Rustamyan that Armenians and
Azerbaijanis are genetically incompatible. Rustamyan has been quoted
in Armenian press.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress