President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan urged an aggressively disposed Azerbaijani MP to calm down, relax and not to distort facts at PACE winter session.

During an A&Q session at PACE Azerbaijani MP Samad Seyidov distorted the ideas of President Serzh Sargsyan announced at the PACE, saying that Serzh Sargsyan has announced himself leader of Artsakh war.

In respond to the Azerbaijani MP, Serzh Sargsyan said, “First, I would ask you to calm down a bit, relax and not to distort my words. I have not declared from this platform that I have been the leader of the war. I have not had that honor. I have contributed to the fair struggle of the people of Nagorno Karabakh.

Referring to the Azerbaijani delegate’s question why he did not speak about the Khojaly events in his speech, Serzh Sargsyan answered, “The answer to the question why I did not touch upon the Khojaly events, which you call a genocide, is very clear – because immediately after that tragic event President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ayaz Mutalibov presented very detailed and informed facts and indicated who were the organizers of that massacre. And I feel very pity for that. Genocide is not a good thing, being subjected to genocide is a torment and I think there is a tendency in Azerbaijan to have anything Armenians have. This is inadmissible. Why do you need to call something a genocide that has never happened, at least not by Armenians”.

Responding to the Azerbaijani MP’s statement on violating international obligations by Armenia, President Sargsyan stressed that there is no decision made by any international institution that has been denied by Armenia. “You tried to recall the UNSC resolutions. I would advise you that when you delve into a topic, you should really do that and study thoroughly”, President Sargsyan said. He added that in 1993 the UNSC adopted 4 resolutions on ceasing military operations in Nagorno Karabakh. “And after each resolution Azerbaijan clearly announced that it will not stop the operations, tried to launch attacks, but, as it often happens, suffered losses. In those resolutions the only commitment of Armenia was to use its influence and reputation to stop military operations. We, thank to the then authorities of Armenia, implemented our obligations. And the first responsible for the military operations, Azerbaijan, that should have stopped the military operations, did not do so. As you know, a ceasefire agreement was signed in 1994, but already due to other factors, not the resolutions of the UNSC. But unfortunately, the provisions enshrined in that agreement are not implemented. It’s clearly mentioned in that agreement that military operations must be stopped and it’s necessary to launch a large-scale negotiation process to find political solutions. As it can be noted in your words, you demand maximum, you want the impossible in that negotiation process. Unfortunately, xenophobia in Azerbaijan has developed to a degree that you already openly announce that you want Karabakh without Armenians. It’s impossible. It will never happen. The nature of the struggle of the people of Nagorno Karabakh is very simple – it’s a struggle for freedom and self-determination and such a struggle cannot end in a failure. I am convinced of that”, President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan concluded.