WILL ALL THE ARMENIANS PLEASE STAND UP!

Radio Free Europe
August 26, 2009
Czech Rep

The Azerbaijan Eurovision story just won’t die down. The government
is now criticizing media organizations, including RFE/RL’s Azerbaijani
Service, for political bias in their reporting.

Youth and Sports Minister Azad Rahimov said on August 24 that
some media organizations are trying to politicize the Azerbaijani
government’s questioning of Azerbaijani citizens who voted for the
Armenian entry as their favorite song in May’s Eurovision Song Contest.

RFE/RL reported two weeks ago that Rovshan Nasirli, a young Eurovision
fan living in Baku, was summoned to the country’s National Security
Ministry to explain why he had voted for the Armenian song. Eurovision
is investigating the incident.

Minister Rahimov said that RFE/RL showed "double standards" towards
Azerbaijan in its coverage of the story, which he said leaves the
ministry officials "bewildered."

It’s news to her, but according to a semi-official news agency,
RFE/RL’s bureau chief in Baku, Khadija Ismayilova, was also one of the
43 Azerbaijani citizens to have voted for the Armenian song. Ismayilova
says she did not vote at all in the contest.

And according to an article, "RFE/RL is a ‘Cousin’ of the Armenians,"
on a website run by pro-government parliament deputy Gudrat
Hasanguliyev, one of Ismayilova’s grandparents was ethnic Armenian.

Not that it matters of course if she was, but Ismayilova says her
grandmothers were ethnic Azeri.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress