DEFENDING SEPARATISTS, FRANCE LOSES PUBLIC CONFIDENCE IN EUROPE: AZERBAIJANI MP
Trend News Agency, Azerbaijan
Nov 12 2007
Azerbaijan, Baku / corr Trend E.Huseynli / Immortalization of an
Armenian terrorist in France harms this country’s public rating,
Azay Guliyev, a member of the Azerbaijan-France inter-parliamentary
friendship group, said in an interview with Trend.
France, a chairing country at the OSCE Minsk Group, must not eternalize
the separatist’s name. With respect to eternalize Monte Melkonian,
who participated in the occupation of Azerbaijani lands, a ceremony for
the opening of a memory plaque on his house was held in the French city
Klamar on 10 November. Arriving in Nagorno-Karabakh [the Azerbaijani
region under Armenian occupation] in 1991 Melkonian, from California
St, USA, fought in the battles against Azerbaijan. On 12 June 1993 he
was killed in a battle in the district of Agdam, Azerbaijan. Guliyev
said that France as a country, mediating in the resolution of the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, should not support separatists.
According to Guliyev, such a position weakens public confidence
towards France and mocks all hopes for Paris. Armenian Armed Forces
have occupied 20% of Azerbaijan including the Nagorno-Karabakh region
and its seven surrounding districts. In 1994, Azerbaijan and Armenia
signed a ceasefire agreement at which time active hostilities ended.
The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group ( Russia, France, and the US)
are currently holding peaceful negotiations.