AZERBAIJANI MEDIA ASCRIBES LIES TO THE UN HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR REFUGEES
By Aghavni Harutyunian

AZG Armenian Daily
23/08/2006

Antonio Gutierrez: I was careful enough not to use the word ‘Armenia’
at the press conference

Armenian foreign minister Vartan Oskanian welcomed Antonio Gutierrez,
the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, at the Ministry on August 21,
expressing satisfaction with the attention that the UN pays to refugee
issues. In Mr. Gutierrez’s words, this was his first visit to the
South Caucasus as a UN High Commissioner for Refugees, also saying
that he is satisfied with the cooperation with the Armenian government.

Speaking about the recent legislative initiative directed to refugee
issues, Mr. Gutierrez thanked the Armenian government for its attitude
towards Armenian and non-Armenian refugees during the Lebanese war. As
to Nagorno Karabakh conflict and the adjacent refugee issue, the UN
High Commissioner for Refugees underscored that the office he heads
is a non-political organization and added that once the conflict
is regulated the refugees can return to their homes. "The return
of refugees to this complicated region will be a positive element,"
he said.

Antonio Gutierrez started his South Caucasian journey from
Azerbaijan. According to Azerbaijani media, Mr. Gutierrez voiced
a few interesting views there. In Particular, Azerbaijani online
editions report that the UN representative was displeased with the
statistics of providing citizenship to refugees in Armenia, saying
that the numbers are low. Besides, Mr. Gutierrez was quoted as saying
that Azerbaijan is the first country with the number of refugees and
it is doing everything for refugees. At the Yerevan press conference
on August 21, Mr. Gutierrez stated that he did not say anything
like that. Firstly, Azerbaijan is not on the first place with the
number of refugees it has, Secondly, certain things are being done
for refugees in Azerbaijan but there are still refugee camps with
rather bad conditions just the way it is in Armenia, Mr. Gutierrez
said. As to alleged dissatisfaction with the Armenian government,
Antonio Gutierrez stated that he never said anything like that so
there is need for comments. "I was careful enough not to use the word
‘Armenia’ at the press conference [in Baku – A. H.]." At any rate
the UN High Representative for Refugee said that the best tool for
protecting the refugees is to grant them citizenship and Armenia has
chosen its own path.

Answering a question about returning the belongings of Armenian
refugees, Mr. Gutierrez said that this issue can be discussed after
the regulation and resettlement of the refugees.