FRENCH DIPLOMAT RAPS ARMENIAN MEDIA FOR DISTORTING WORDS ON KARABAKH
ANS TV
March 15 2010
Azerbaijan
A French diplomat has said the Armenian media distorted his words
about Karabakh war, Baku based ANS TV reported on 15 March.
The French co-chairman of the OSCE Minsk Group, which mediates
a solution to the Karabakh conflict, Bernard Fassier, has denied
Armenian media reports which quoted Fassier as saying in a NATO
seminar held in Yerevan that Azerbaijan would lose if it decides to
start military operations in the Nagornyy Karabakh.
In a phone talk with Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov,
Bernard Fassier said his words "were completely distorted".
"As a co-chairman and in particular, as a military officer, I would
never allow myself to assess any army. As a co-chairman, I would
never make such a serious mistake," ANS TV quoted Fassier as saying.
Meanwhile, prominent Azerbaijani political expert Ilqar Mammadov,
who attended a NATO seminar in Yerevan, has said in a message posted
on his blog on 12 March 0644 gmt that Bernard Fassier had indeed
said the following: "[Azerbaijani Defence Minister] Safar Abiyev’s
recent belligerent words were irresponsible. Imagine that Azerbaijan
wins the war, which is impossible, because people of Karabakh are
brave soldiers."