Azerbaijan Sends Letter of Protest to US Congress on H.Res.252

12:54 ¢ 06.03.10

Azerbaijan’s National Assembly (Milli MÉ’clis) sent an appeal yesterday
to the US. Congress regarding the adoption of H.Res.252 on the
Armenian Genocide by the US House of Representatives Foreign Affairs
Committee.

According to a number of Azerbaijani media, the appeal was prepared in
a parliamentary working group headed by Samad Seyidov, chair of the
Milli MÉ’clis standing committee on international relations and
inter-parliamentary relations.

In the letter, Azerbaijan expresses its regret on the adoption of the
resolution with parliamentarians turning their attention to Armenian
lobbying efforts toward recognizing the Armenian Genocide, Turkey’s
proposal to establish a joint commission of historians, and so on.

`This unfair judgment, which is apparent neglect to the historical
realities and sacrifices the interests for the Armenian lobby, can be
characterized as a step that could create new problems in Asia Minor
and Southern Caucasus.

`We are faced with an attempt to turn remote a historical event, which
up to present has not been completely investigated and has not been
objectively appraised, into a subject of a political gamble to justify
the groundless claims of the Armenian nationalists to the neighboring
states,’ reads the appeal in part, reports Azerbaijani news agency
APA.

The letter also states that the judgment made by the congressional
committee, by a co untry which is a OSCE Minsk Group co-chair,
`hinders the attainment of peace in the region and can destroy the
positive results, which have been reached till now through
negotiations.’

The letter concludes by saying that the authors are sure this decision
will be turned down by the US Congress, and `We hope that US
government, which has an image of a democratic country, will do the
utmost not to admit the passage [of H.Res.252], which might harm
American-Turkish and American-Azerbaijani relations.’

Tert.am