LATEST AZERBAIJANI SLANDER AND DEMARCHE

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03:24 pm | May 27, 2009 | Politics

Oslo, Norway-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 Defence
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 Karabagh 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 and all fora and 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 Mountainous Karabagh 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 Karabagh. When Azerbaijan
decided to seize Karabagh 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 prese!

nt-day re is impossible to reformulate history, which she is attempting
to do." Afterward, Safarian examined 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.

On May 24, Stepan Safarian partook in the session of the Political
Affairs Commission. During this event, Safarian offered his
observations concerning Iran and Iran-international community
relations. He underscored the need to correctly recognize and
comprehend the real motives behind Iran’s demeanor, and to use
the unused opportunities and potential for normalizing relations
and surmounting the tension between Iran and the international
community. He also offered his impressions from Iran, which reaffirmed
his assertions with respect to the presence of the aforesaid potential
and the problems which Iran, NATO, and the international community
shared in the Greater Near Eastern region.

On May 25, Stepan Safarian met with Sverre Mirli and Kiel Engebretsen,
the members of the "Friends of Armenia in Norway" network and the
present and former Norwegian MPs. Safarian expressed a hope that the
best traditions in the Armenia-Norway friendship will continue and
the bilateral cooperation will grow stronger, and he also promised
to contribute in this task.

On May 26, the Armenian delegation attended the plenary session and
the closing ceremony of NATO PA. All through and beyond the latter’s
spring session, Stepan Safarian also met with delegates from numerous
countries (Denmark, Norway, Russia, Switzerland, Austria, Algeria,
Moldova, Germany, France, Jordan, etc.) and exchanged views on regional
security issues.