IOSIF KOBZON SAYS ZHIRINOVSKI’S REMARKS ON NAGORNO KARABAKH SHOULD NOT BE TAKEN SERIOUSLY

Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
April 27 2007

Russia’s peoples’ artist Iosif Kobzon visiting Azerbaijan held a press
conference in Azerbaijan State Academic Opera and Ballet Theater,
APA reports.

The musician said he takes pride in celebration of his 70th anniversary
in Azerbaijan. Noting that he has been for 50 years on the stage
Kobzon said he will celebrate these two great events on the stage.

"My jubilee will be celebrated in a number of countries. I will go
on tour to Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania,
Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and other countries after Azerbaijan," he said.

Kobzon said he visited Martyrs’ Alley and felt sorry for them.

"The graves I saw in the Martyrs’ Alley distressed me. They were too
young. But all this remained the past," he said.

Kobzon said he will sing new and old songs in his jubilee and touched
upon political processes as well. Commenting on the statement by
Vladimir Zhirinovski, chief of Russia Liberal-Democrat Party which
said the Nagorno Karabakh belongs to Armenians, Kobzon said he does
not take this seriously.

"I do not take these thoughts seriously as Zhirinovski said it. If
somebody else said it I could comment on it. I do not consider it right
to comment on it. Zhirinovski’s political line is known to all Post
Soviet countries and he used to make such statements several times,"
he said.

Iosif Kobzon expressed his sorrow about famous musician Mstislav
Rostropovich’s death.