PUBLIC FIGURE SAYS ARMENIA TO SET UP KURDISH PROVINCE IN OCCUPIED AZERI DISTRICT
Azadliq
Feb 22 2008
Azerbaijan
Terrorists from the PKK [Kurdistan Workers’ Party] supported [Prime
Minister] Serzh Sargsyan in the Armenianpresidential election, Faiq
Ismayilov, the chairman of the public movement for the protection of
historical and culturalmonuments in Azerbaijani occupied territories,
has said.
The Armenian media have reported that over 60,000 PKK supporters have
moved to Armenia from Iraq and that theArmenian government plans to
settle all these Kurds in Azerbaijan’s occupied district of Lacin,
Ismayilov said.
Ismayilov said that a statement made on behalf of Kurds in December
2007 said that they support presidentialcandidate Serzh Sargsyan. The
statement says that it will be possible to form a Kurdish province
in Lacin only thanks toSargsyan. "If this plan is implemented, a new
nest of separatism will appear in the South Caucasus." Ismayilovsaid
that the Kurdish supporters of the PKK enjoy Sargsyan’s special
support. "Armenians admit that in theautumn 1992 PKK terrorists played
a special role in the occupation of Lacin that is situated between
Nagornyy Karabakhand Armenia. Major projects are being prepared for
creating and expanding ties in future between Iraqi Kurdistan and
theKurdish province being created in Lacin."
It is natural that the settlement of PKK Kurds in the occupied
districts of Azerbaijan should set alarm bells ringingfor us. Remarks
by Foreign Ministry official Araz Azimov a few days ago about the PKK
approaching the country’sborder suggests that the danger is serious.
Although the press has on many occasions reported on this problem
and itsseriousness, officials have never reacted to this. The fact
that now they are speaking about the existence of the dangercan be
regarded as a confirmation of serious problems in this sphere.
The head of the National Security Ministry press service, Arif Babayev,
has said that the ministry is thoroughlylooking into and analysing
all media reports on this subject. "If cases that run counter to the
national interests are observed, preventive measures will certainly
be taken," he said.