VLADIMIR KARAPETIAN: AZERBAIJAN DOES EVERYTHING POSSIBLE TO CONCEAL TRACES OF ITS VANDALISM
Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Aug 31 2006
YEREVAN, AUGUST 31, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. It is not for the
first time that the Azerbaijani side puts obstacles for an observer
muission to visit Nakhijevan, the acting head of the RA MFA Press
and Information Department Vladimir Karapetian said. "Azerbaijan
does everything possible to conceal the traces of its vandalism and
to distract the international community’s attention from an attempt
(unfortunately, a successful one) to destroy the spiritual and cultural
samples of the Armenians," he pointed out, while commenting, at the
request of Public Television’s Haylur information program, on the
fact that Azerbaijan did not allow the Europarliament’s monitoring
delegation to go to Nakhijevan in order to examine the reasons for the
destruction of Armenian monuments in Hin Jugha. In his opinion, the
absurd accusations regarding the fires pursue one purpose: to conceal
the barbarian actions committed in Nakhijevan under an atificial
uproar. He reminded that many foreign experts and international
reporters confirmed that the Azerbaijani government artitrarily
destroyed over 2,000 gravestones. "Those guilty for this crime must
be held accountable," he stated. "This terrible action, as well as the
recent anti-Armenian propaganda of Azerbaijan show that Azerbaijan has
not changed neither its methods nor its intention. In such a situation,
it is not surprising that the Azerbaijani side creates obstacles in
connection with the visit of Europarliament’s fact-finding mission,"
V. Karapetian stated. Nevertheless, he expressed confidence that the
international community will be consistent in its actions to register
and condemn the destruction of Armenian cultural values in Nakhijevan.