Baku once more demonstrates its real attitude to national minorities

ArmInfo
2007-09-20 15:24:00

By a vote of 143 in favour to 4 against, with 11 abstentions UN
General Assembly adopted a Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous
Peoples on September 13 2007. Some countries abstained from voting,
including Azerbaijan. ‘It is interesting that Azerbaijan was present
at the session and abstained from voting. This means that it refused
to join the declaration intentionally. Thus, official Baku has once
more demonstrated its real intentions regarding national minorities
that are half of its population, > NKR political expert David Babayan
told ArmInfo.

‘The Declaration sets out the individual and collective rights of the
world’s 370 million native peoples, calls for the maintenance and
strengthening of their cultural identities, and emphasizes their right
to pursue development in keeping with their own needs and aspirations.
The Declaration states that native peoples have the right "to the
recognition, observance and enforcement of treaties" concluded with
States or their successors. It also prohibits discrimination against
indigenous peoples and promotes their full and effective participation
in all matters that concern them.> "It is natural that Azerbaijan
would be bound with another international obligation if signing the
Declration,"D. Babayan said.

He also added that a number of ethnic minorities were forcefully
assimilated in Azerbaijan, alongside with Kurds. Moreover, recently
the Azerbaijani authorities organized mass desecration of Russian,
Jewish and Armenian cemeteries in Baku, which are still continued
despite numerous protests. D. Babayan said "Such actions by Azerbaijan
cannot but affect the settlement of Karabakh conflict."

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress