ANCA REPRESENTATIVE CONFRONTS AZERBAIJANI DIPLOMAT ON SUBJECT OF NAGORNO KARABAKH CONFLICT

Noyan Tapan
Nov 12, 2009

NEW YORK, NOVEMBER 12, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. ANCA Eastern
Region Executive Director Garo Manjikian confronted Azerbaijani Deputy
Foreign Minister Araz Azimov on the Aliyev government’s track record
of war mongering and aggression towards Nagorno-Karabakh, at an event
hosted by the Permanent Mission of Azerbaijan to the United Nations
and the Harriman Institute of Columbia University last week.

Manjikian said in his speech that the Azeri government is working
hard to portray itself as a stable, reliable and peaceful country in
the Caucasus, while at the same time having an extensive track record
of aggression and war mongering towards Nagorno Karabakh. Manjikian
then cited three specific statements that President Aliyev made in the
past two years with direct threats to take Nagorno Karabakh by force.

A. Azimov, in his turn, said that statements coming from Azerbaijan
are are just a reaction to Armenia and that there can only be self-rule
of Nagorno Karabakh within Azerbaijan.

Another participant of the event, Ambassador Ertugrul Apakan, from
the Permanent Mission of Turkey to the United Nations expressed the
hope that the recent rapprochement between Armenia and Turkey will
spark positive developments between Armenia and Azerbaijan to settle
the Nagorno Karabakh conflict.