SOCIOPOLITICAL FORCES CONDEMN VISIT OF AZERBAIJAN’S AMBASSADOR TO NAGORNO KARABAKH
arminfo
2007-06-29 11:01:00
Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry decided to comment on the visit of
Polad Bulbul oglu to Nagorno Karabakh (NK). "The trip to Karabakh is
a personal initiative of the two ambassadors, two former culture
ministers of Azerbaijan and Armenia," TURAN was told by the
representative of the Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry Khazar Ibrahim.
According to Ibrahim, in Khankend a meeting with representatives
of the NK community took place. This meeting cannot be considered
as recognition of NK as a side to the conflict because it was
the ambassador’s personal initiative, Ibrahim said. However,
representatives of civil society do not agree.
"It is a shame and disgrace," this is how the leader of the Karabakh
Liberation Movement Akif Nagi assessed the visit.
"The ambassador must respond for this. This question will be in
particular discussed at our meeting on July 3. Even now it is clear
that we will bring up the question to call the ambassador back,"
he said.
Ex-advisor for foreign policy Vafa Guluzade considers that it was an
"inadmissible step" on the part of the Ambassador.
"It runs counter to appeals of the authorities not to make visits
to Armenia and NK until the conflict is settled. Though it is
absolutely clear that Polad Bulbuloglu would hardly go to NK on his
own initiative," Guluzade said. The leader of Musavat Party Isa Gamber
was surprised by this visit.
Insufficiency of information does not allow clarification of the
situation to explain to society what is taking place, said Gamber.
The leader of the Democratic Party Sardar Jalaloglu said that the
ambassador was not authorized to speak on behalf of the state. The
"dangerous" moment is to present the NK as a side to the conflict. At
the same time, he considers the citizens of NK Azerbaijan’s citizens
and "it is not reasonable" to give a political estimation to this trip,
Jalaloglu said. The leader of PPFA Ali Kerimli stated the authorities
must immediately explain why they sent Bulbuloglu to NK, at any rate
the meeting of an official with separatists is an attempt to present
it as a side to the conflict.
For many years Armenian diplomacy has tried to obtain success in this
direction, but could not manage. Now Azerbaijan has lost this only
privilege, Kerimli aid.
Human rights activist Murad Sadaddinov said that the visit to Karabakh
demonstrates the authorities’ hypocrisy. "If human rights activists do
this they throw eggs into them and insult them on TV. I wonder what
they will do now to our false patriots, if it was the ambassador’s
personal initiative to go to NK?" Sadaddinov said.