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Presidentâ€™s Office representative: International Crisis Groupâ€™s report does not fully cover Azerbaijanâ€™s position

05 December 2007 12:14 (UTC +04:00)

This approach worries us,â€ head advisor of Presidentâ€™s Office foreign affairs department Hasan Mammadzadeh told APA, while taking a stance on the report of the International Crisis Group (ICG) â€œNagorno Karabakh: Risking warâ€.
He said that the report does not fully cover the facts on the recognition of Azerbaijanâ€™s territorial integrity by the international community.
â€œThe document sees Azerbaijanâ€™s economic growth from another aspect. The authors of the report say that the budget receives large amount of oil income, corruption increases and increase of military expenses raise war mood in the country. The document expresses concern about arming, while there is no concern about Armeniaâ€™s arming in the document. $1bn.-cost weapons were presented to Armenia in 1997, being member of Collective Security Treaty Organization, they have opportunities to buy weapons on preferential terms, but these issues are not reflected in the report. The report writes we maintain blockade on Armenia. We told them several times and Heydar Aliyev offered Robert Kocharian in Sadarak in 2002 to establish railway to Armenia in exchange for releasing three regions bordering on Iran. But Kocharian protested saying they are satisfied with the situation and are not in blockade.
These facts were not reflected in the report, they show Armenians as poor people,â€ he said.
Hasan Mammadzadeh said that it is as if that report covers protection of refugeesâ€™ rights in Azerbaijan.
â€œBut who are the main committers of so much people becoming refugees, why they are in such condition, their lands occupied. Such issues are not touched upon. If you protect rights of people you should show committers of it. The report says as if Armenian graves were destructed and insulted in Nakhchivan. We stated officially that Nagorno Karabakh and Nakhchivan should be monitored. But International Crisis Group (ICG) wrote nothing about our destructed graves, historical and cultural monuments in Karabakh and other occupied regions,â€ he said.
Hasan Mammadzadeh also replied to the question on the activity of ICG in the solution of Nagorno Karabakh conflict.
â€œICG is influential organization, this organizationâ€™s preparing report on Nagorno Karabakh conflict should be appreciated positively. But position of the sides should be substantiated objectively while preparing report. Activity circle of ICG is very large, they spread reports on all the issues from Asia to Africa. They have large expert groups, but to our regret momentums which will satisfy us were not reflected in their reports on Nagorno Karabakh,â€ he said. /APA/