NATO PA – ANOTHER INSTANCE FOR BAKU’S ANTI-ARMENIAN PROPAGANDA
/PanARMENIAN.Net/
27.05.2009 19:45 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Stepan Safarian, member of the Heritage Party’s
parliamentary faction, who recently replaced Heritage’s founder Raffi
K. Hovannisian at the Armenian National Assembly’s delegation to the
NATO Parliamentary Assembly (NATO PA), was in the Norwegian capital
Oslo from May 23 to 26, where he participated in the spring session
of NATO PA.
On May 23, Stepan Safarian attended the session of NATO PA’s Defense
and Security Commission. Heritage’s MP offered comments and put forth
queries specifically during the discussions devoted to Afghanistan
and, subsequently, to the threats which the women and young girls face
in times of military conflicts and post-conflict situations. In her
remarks, Malahat Ibrahimkizi, the member of Azerbaijan’s associated
delegation to NATO PA, made a "smooth" transition from the issue of
violations against the women and young girls in the conflict zones
to the Karabakh conflict and made slanderous accusations against
Armenia. She argued that Armenia was the aggressor, that twenty
percent of Azerbaijan was under occupation, and that there were
one million Azerbaijani refugees. And offering his comments on the
topic of discussion, Stepan Safarian noted: "I deeply regret that
I must commence my remarks by responding to the slanders made by my
distinguished Azerbaijani colleague. I was preparing to deliver an
altogether different speech, but now I am obliged to start my words
from this issue. I understand that my Azerbaijani colleagues have a
task given to them by their highest leadership, and this task is to
make use of any opportunity to smear Armenia in order to distort the
truth. Ladies and gentlemen, we can interpret the historical facts
and the history in different ways, yet it is impossible to falsify the
facts and write a new history. However, I do agree with my colleague
in one description, but with a certain editing: The NKR conflict is the
tragic story of an aggression and a failed attempt at occupation. More
specifically, it is the tale of Azerbaijan’s instigating aggression
against and its failed attempt to occupy Mountainous Karabakh. When
Azerbaijan decided to seize Karabakh by military means, this was
prevented by the effective Armenian defense. And today, my Azerbaijani
colleague is trying to misrepresent this fact, which resulted in
tragic consequences and in the present-day realities. It is impossible!
to refor xamined the matter of and the challenge toward disarmament and
the women’s engagement in different militarized conflicts. Following
the Heritage MP’s intervention, the Azerbaijani deputy became edgy
and, pretentiously obstructing the session, left the session’s hall
screaming. The same day, Safarian also participated in the session
of NATO PA’s Economy and Security Commission, Heritage Party’s Office
reported to PanARMENIAN.Net.