GARABAGH ARMENIANS WELCOME AZERI VISIT
AssA-Irada
July 7, 2009 Tuesday
Azerbaijan
The self-proclaimed republic operating in Upper (Nagorno) Garabagh has
welcomed last weeks visit to the Armenia-occupied Azerbaijani region
by the two countries intellectuals. The separatist regimes foreign
ministry said in a statement that the visit meets its interests. This
visit is particularly commendable for the reason that Azerbaijani
representatives are working with this state again, it maintained.
At the same time, such visits create good conditions for the
recognition of the Upper Garabagh Republic on the international
scale. Garabagh Armenians claimed further that the route of the
visit and the make-up of the Azerbaijani delegation had been altered
upon their demand. The route of the visit and who will be visiting
had been agreed beforehand. Upon the demand of the Garabagh side,
parliament member Havva Mammadova and Chingiz Ismayilov, known for
their anti-Armenian statements, were excluded from the delegation, the
statement alleged. Also, the self-proclaimed entity interpreted the
Azerbaijani delegations visit as Bakus attempt to negotiate directly
with itself, without mediators. Asim Mollazada, a parliament member who
was among the visitors, is unaware that the make-up of the delegation
had been changed. The lawmaker said further that he had heard
disagreement with the visit route from Armenians, who protested at the
delegations traveling to Khankandi, the center of the unrecognized
republic, from Azerbaijan. However, the issue was later resolved,
and the representatives entered there from Azerbaijans northwestern
Terter district. Upper Garabagh has been occupied by Armenia since a
1994 cease-fire ended separatist hostilities that killed an estimated
30,000 people and ousted about one million Azerbaijanis from their
homes. Armenia continues to occupy Upper Garabagh and seven other
Azerbaijani districts in defiance of international law. Years of
peace talks have brought few tangible results.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress