AZERBAIJANI RULING PARTY: TURKEY WILL NOT DIGRESS FROM DISCUSSING SO-CALLED ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

Trend
Feb 8 2010
Azerbaijan

Turkey will not digress from discussing the so-called "Armenian
genocide", Azerbaijani ruling party said.

"The Armenian lobby has used all possible ways for the U.S. Congress to
recognize the so-called genocide. Turkey will not retreat, despite the
so-called Armenian genocide is envisaged to be put to the vote by the
Committee on Foreign Relations of the U.S. House of Representatives
in March," Deputy Executive Secretary of New Azerbaijan Party, MP
Mubariz Gurbanli said in his interview with the Internet site of the
party on Monday.

There are no diplomatic relations between Turkey and Armenia since
1993. The reason is anti-Turkish campaign carried out by Armenia in
the international community and related to the so-called "Armenian
genocide". Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan invited Turkish President
Abdullah Gul to Yerevan for the World Cup qualifying match between
Armenia and Turkey held on September 6. After Gul’s visit diplomatic
efforts to normalize relations between the two countries continue to
take place.

The draft resolution on the recognition of "Armenian genocide" was
delivered by the Democrat Congressman from California, Adam Schiff,
to the Committee on Foreign Relations of the House of Representatives
in January 2007. "Despite pro-Armenian congressmen managed to carry
out this resolution through the committee, the president vetoed it,
and the resolution was not put to the vote in the U.S. Congress and
Senate," MP said.

The Armenian National Committee in the United States continues to make
efforts towards the recognition of the so-called "Armenian genocide".

"The main purpose of all these actions is to put pressure on Turkey
and force it to open its borders with Armenia. But the whole course of
events testifies to the fact that Turkey will not retreat to discuss
the so-called genocide," the deputy executive secretary said.

New Azerbaijan Party was founded in 1992 by national leader Heydar
Aliyev, when he was a chairman of Nakhchivan Supreme Majlis. Now
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has been heading the party for
17 years.