CE SECRETARY GENERAL STAYS TRUE TO HIMSELF WHEN IT COMES TO AZERBAIJAN
Karine Ter-Sahakyan

PanARMENIAN.Net
02.12.2008 GMT+04:00

Aliyev came to the point of uttering that destruction of historical
and cultural monuments in the "occupied" territories of Azerbaijan is
a blow delivered not only to Azerbaijan, but also to the whole world.

A two-day international conference of Ministers of Culture of CE
states was held in Baku. As usual, Secretary General of the Council
of Europe Terry Davis distinguished himself, and though we can’t get
used to his statements, every time he says something new. Sometimes
it even seems that speeches of Mr. Davis are written in Baku, not in
Strasbourg. Naturally, Ministers of Culture met to discuss issues of
preservation of cultural heritage, security of historical monuments
and much more. It is quite obvious that the Armenian delegation did
not arrive in Baku for security reasons.

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Everybody still recalls "reception" of the four
Armenian officers into the NATO conference in Baku, when the activists
of the Organization for Karabakh Liberation (OKL) forced their way
into the hotel of the Armenian delegation and were about to kill its
members. After such "receptions" Armenia simply cannot risk official
trips to Baku. Moreover, a conference of Ministers of Transport of
the CIS countries will soon be held there, and activists of the OKL
have already warned that Armenians will not be welcomed to Baku. And
after such statements what’s the conduct of CE Secretary General who is
called to spread peace and justice all over the world? To say the least
of it, he expresses indignation over Armenia’s non-participation in
the conference, as if he knows nothing of the threats, and Azerbaijan
is a tolerant, peaceful country that simply desires to see the South
Caucasus and the whole world deprived of Armenians.

According to Terry Davis, with her non-participation in the conference
Armenia deprived herself of the chance to have a dialogue with
Azerbaijan. "A dialogue in the region is of great significance. The
dialogue between the presidents is also important, but there is a
need for dialogue between peoples," said Terry Davis at a briefing
in Baku. In harmony with him spoke also President of Azerbaijan Ilham
Aliyev. "The events in the Caucasus show that violation of the norms
of international law causes dangerous processes. International law
must be guaranteed, territorial integrity of Azerbaijan restored,
and occupied lands returned. The military aggression caused great
damage to the Azerbaijani cultural heritage in the occupied lands. It
is not only our confirmation, but also that of some international
organizations," declared Aliyev, who came to the point of uttering that
destruction of historical and cultural monuments in the Â"occupiedÂ"
territories of Azerbaijan is a blow delivered not only to Azerbaijan,
but also to the whole world.

In his turn, the Secretary General of the Council of Europe voiced
regrets over the delay of the visit of PACE mission on culture and
cultural heritage to Azerbaijan and Armenia. One might think the
Secretary General isn’t aware of the reason why the mission never
paid a visit. The point is that the lie on the "destroyed by occupants
historical Azerbaijani monuments" would immediately come to light. It
is worth mentioning that it was exactly Armenia that insisted on the
visit of PACE mission to the region after the barbarian destruction
of the medieval Armenian cemetery of Old Jugha.

Besides, the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
(ISESCO) is planning to send a mission in Nagorno Karabakh to conduct
a monitoring of historical monuments. According to ISESCO Director
General Abdulaziz Othman Altwaijri, "The developments in Nagorno
Karabakh are against the international law. The occupied territories
should be liberated and displaced persons should return to their
homeland. The mission should make sure that the monuments are not
destroyed. In case facts of destruction of the monuments are observed,
they will be immediately delivered to the international community
and law organizations".

There is one thing in this story that captures most of our
attention: which monuments in Nagorno Karabalh are believed to be
Azerbaijani? If they mean the mosque in Shushi, it is safe and sound,
and the problem of its restoration is the commission of Iran and not
that of Azerbaijan, since the mosque used to belong to the Persian
Empire. Minarets of the mosque in Aghdam are intact too. Thus, the
ISESCO rush to Karabakh is absolutely for nothing. But, on the other
hand, let them go and see it for themselves who the real destructor
is. Just there is no guarantee that the report to be published on
their return will be absolutely factual.

–Boundary_(ID_pb5GMUG4AheKzHRmaNgHkg)–

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress