AZERBAIJANI PARTY SUPPORTS TURKEY

news.az
March 9 2010
Azerbaijan

The Civil Unity Party has voiced regret at resolution adopted by US
Committee recognizing the killings of Armenians in Ottoman Empire as
‘genocide’.

‘We, as a political party, consider this decision unjust, as it
does not reflect the real situation that prevailed n the Ottoman
Empire in the early part of last century,’ Sabir Hajiyev, Civil Unity
Party chairman, Milli Majlis deputy and a member of the Azerbaijani
delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.

‘The issue of the so-called "genocide" has been discussed long ago.

The Armenian lobby has repeatedly raised it in the United States
and other countries, but the state figures of most countries have
correctly assessed the situation, considering it wrong to assess the
1915 events in this way. It is historians who should deal with this
issue,’ he said.

Hajiyev said that the members of his party supported Turkey and the
Turkish people.

‘We support Turkey. Azerbaijan has always been close to our friendly
Turkish people. We do hope that the US Congress will not consider this
decision of the committee and that justice will win. We believe in
the wisdom of Congress and the US leadership. And I think strategic
relations with Turkey are more important for the White House today
than the efforts of some Armenian lobby that has been trying to pass
this issue in Congress for decades. We think that they won’t succeed,’
the parliamentarian said.