AZERBAIJAN DOES NOT INTEND TO SEEK EXPELLING FRANCE FROM OSCE MINSK GROUP

Regnum, Russia
Oct 17 2006

"I have not heard of any official announcements that Azerbaijan is
seeking expulsion of France from the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs,"
Head of the Information and Press Department at the Azerbaijani Foreign
Ministry Tair Tagizade is quoted as saying to Day.az, while commenting
on calls for it after the lower house of France’s parliament passed
a law that envisages criminal punishment for denial of the Armenian
Genocide.

In this connection, he noted that "diplomats have to work with
reality of political facts." "France’s foreign policy is formed les
by the parliament and more by the French foreign ministry. So, I do
not understand, on what proponents of expelling France from the MG
co-chairs ground," Tair Tagizade said.

Commenting on a statement by the bloc of Azerbaijani parties "Our
Azerbaijan" on necessity to freeze all relations with the country,
impose an embargo on French goods, recall the ambassador from Paris
and so on, he noted that "any political force in the country has a
right to make these or other statements." "In this case, aspiration
can be seen vividly to gain political profit grounding on any issues,
including those that are not supposed to be subject for speculations,"
the head of the information and press department said.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress