OFFICIAL YEREVAN: "BAKU LIAR" LIES AND IS NOT DANGEROUS
Source: Novoe Vremya (Yerevan), May 10, 2007, p. EV
Agency WPS
DEFENSE and SECURITY (Russia)
May 14, 2007 Monday
REACTION OF ARMENIAN AUTHORITIES TO THE STATEMENTS OF ILKHAM ALIEV
ON RESOLVING OF THE NAGORNO-KARABAKH CONFLICT; Statements of the
President of Azerbaijan, Ilkham Aliev, on May 4 released in the Ramany
suburb of Baku during a meeting with Azerbaijanis from Shusha stirred
up practically all top-ranking officials of our country. The Prime
Minister of Armenia, Serzh Sarkisyan, spoke about the "revelations"
of Aliev that Azerbaijani mass media immediately called a "disclosure
of the content of confidential negotiations."
Statements of the President of Azerbaijan, Ilkham Aliev, on May
4 released in the Ramany suburb of Baku during a meeting with
Azerbaijanis from Shusha stirred up practically all top-ranking
officials of our country. The Prime Minister of Armenia, Serzh
Sarkisyan, spoke about the "revelations" of Aliev that the Azerbaijani
mass media immediately called a "disclosure of the content of
confidential negotiations."
Denying the statement of Aliev about Aremina’s alleged agreement
with unilateral concessions in the conflict resolution, Sarkisyan
said: "I have no idea what goals Ilkham Aliev pursues delivering
such statements. If I get to know this I will draw the relevant
conclusions. Let him say whatever he likes. We have already announced
our stance. It is clear and understandable."
Mikhail Arutyunyan, who replaced Sarkisyan on the post of the Defense
Minister, explained yesterday what Sarkisyan meant: "If there are no
mutual concessions, there will be no resolving the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict. Azerbaijani authorities are perfectly aware of the
capabilities of the armed forces of Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia and
will not be very easy for them to fulfill any aggressive tasks."
Commenting on more active conversations of Baku officials about the
"territorial integrity" of Azerbaijan, the Defense Minister said:
"They have always talked like this. In turn, we state that it is
impossible to settle this issue without mutual concessions. Thus
they will not receive any other territories controlled by the
Nagorno-Karabakh army. If they do not make concessions, we will not
make them, either." Overall, according to Arutyunyan, such aggressive
statements do not befit the President of Azerbaijan, who is holding
direct negotiations on the conflict with his Armenian colleague, R.
Kocharyan.
According to Vladimir Karapetyan, acting press secretary of the
Foreign Ministry of Armenia, the ministry believes that the "frequent
repetition of belligerent statements by the President of Azerbaijan,
as well as threats to use force in resolving of the conflict, manifests
ignoring of international obligations, as well as weakness and deep
mistrust." Karapetyan once again confirmed the stance of Armenia at the
negotiations: the recognition of the principle of self-determination
of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic is the priority.
Other issues are derivatives and proceed from recognition of the main
principle of resolution."
We also need to speak about the reaction of parliament. Whereas deputy
speaker Vaan Ovanesyan qualifies the words of Aliev as "bold lies,"
which are not the first ones in the political career of the President
of Azerbaijan, speaker Tigran Torosyan is more peaceful, although
he speaks with equal clarity: "The statements of the President of
Azerbaijan are from the field of fantasy. Ilkham Aliev has dreams and
in releasing such statements, the Azerbaijani President merely tries
to find consolation on the eve of the 15th anniversary of liberation
of Shusha."